Biden applauds tentative deal between Hollywood writers, studios to end 5-month strike

By Darren Lyn

HOUSTON, United States (AA) - President Joe Biden on Monday applauded the tentative agreement announced by Hollywood screenwriters to end their strike with top movie studios which has crippled the film and TV industry for nearly five months.

"That will allow writers to return to the important work of telling the stories of our nation, our world - and of all of us," Biden said in a statement. "This agreement...did not come easily. But its formation is a testament to the power of collective bargaining."

The walkout, one of the longest in the entertainment industry's history, temporarily halted late Sunday when writers suspended their picket line. They went on strike May 2 fighting for higher pay, a bigger cut of royalties for film and TV projects and stricter regulations against the use of artificial intelligence.

"We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional--with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership," the Writers Guild of America (WGA) negotiating committee said in a statement.

The WGA West Board and the WGA East Council must now ratify the new deal with a vote scheduled for Tuesday. If approved, it would cap a contentious period of negotiations between the writers and powerhouse studios Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros. and Comcast's NBCUniversal Studio Group.

"Since day one, the militancy of the writers holding the line and hitting the pavement exemplified their unwavering commitment to their core issues," the Motion Picture Teamsters said in a statement. "Their fight has also inspired a renewed solidarity among all Hollywood workers that will live on long past this bargaining cycle."

The ending of the writers' strike is only half the battle. Hollywood actors and broadcast announcers continue their two-month holdout, which started July 14. The simultaneous strikes have crippled the entertainment business, shutting down production on movies, streaming series and television and talk shows.

The Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) applauded the writers for their new deal as they worked to iron out their own negotiations with Hollywood studios.

"SAG-AFTRA congratulates the WGA on reaching a tentative agreement with the AMPTP after 146 days of incredible strength, resiliency, and solidarity on the picket lines," the group said in a statement. "We remain on strike in our TV/Theatrical contract and continue to urge the studio and streamer CEOs and the AMPTP to return to the table and make the fair deal that our members deserve and demand."

Biden emphasized the importance of the ongoing negotiations in the entertainment industry and also made reference to the autoworkers strike against the Big Three US automakers (General Motors, Ford and Stellantis) which began on Sept. 15.

"There simply is no substitute for employers and employees coming together to negotiate in good faith toward an agreement that makes a business stronger and secures the pay, benefits, and dignity that workers deserve," said the US president. "I urge all employers to remember that all workers - including writers, actors, and autoworkers - deserve a fair share of the value their labor helped create."