The Writers and Studios agreed to end the nearly 5-month strike.
146 days. Television and movie productions lost out on almost 5 months of development. Pencils were down. Signs were up. They marched day and night by the big cooling tower. They had the plant, but we had the power.
146 days. The AMPTP released information and misinformation to the masses, and the public and WGA didn’t buy it. Lines were leaked saying they planned to starve out the writers and were in it for the long haul, but so were the writers.
146 days. The WGA endured. Their writers stood in solidarity. THey educated the public. They marched for their rights. They made videos, articles, speeches… And it all led to this weekend.
After 3 straight days of negotiating with the AMPTP, on Sunday, September 24, 2023, the WGA agreed to a deal presented by the studios and streamers that’s being called “exceptional”. Lawyers are working through the wording and language and the WGA still needs to vote on it, but the deal has been agreed upon, and the strike will officially end.
Honestly, I have a tear in my eye as I write this. I saw what it took for everyone in the strike, and the toll it took on them. Saw them march through the tropical storm in Los Angeles. Saw them march when studios illegally cut trees that gave the writers shade. I saw kids, adults, every person under the sun unite to stand with the writers. Though the deal isn’t public, and an article will magically appear when it does, there are emotions I can’t even explain right now.
Make no mistake, there is a lot that still needs to happen. Our brothers and sisters in SAG-AFTRA are still on strike, and there is a LOT of missed time we need to make up, but this phase is over. We know and will remember who stood with the writers and who didn’t. We remember the people who spoke up for us and the silence of others.
The last 5 months have been hard, to say the least. I’m incredibly thankful that the WGA fought hard and fought for union and non-union writers. I’m proud of my fellow writers who picked for us. I’m thankful for the independent writers who stood for the unions. I’m in debt to the public who stood with us when they had nothing to gain.
Let’s get back to what we were put on this planet for.
We won.