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New York CNN —Hollywood actors have reached a tentative agreement with the major film and television studios to end their historic strike, the actors union announced Wednesday. While the writers’ strike was resolved in September, production has remained shuttered as the actors continued to strike and negotiate their contract. But the actors’ contract negotiations didn’t last long, breaking down on Oct. 11 before returning later in the month. By the end of October, it appeared the actors’ strike was approaching its final scene. But Hollywood actors have not appeared on their shows to promote their movies during the actors strike.

Persons: Fran Drescher, “, ” Drescher, ’, ”, we’ve, AMPTP, Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, ” Bass, George Clooney, Tyler Perry, AFTRA, “ We’re, WGA’s, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Seth Meyers – Organizations: New, New York CNN, Hollywood, Alliance, Television Producers, SAG, Writers Guild of America, didn’t, CNN, Angeles Mayor, Writers Guild, WGA Locations: New York, Los Angeles, ”

☆ How Hollywood writers’ landmark deal with studios could set a precedent in the battle against A.I.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

After nearly 150 days on strike, the screenwriters secured a number of groundbreaking wins in their new contract with the major film and television studios. The terms, shared by the guild, prevent the studios from using A.I. to write or rewrite material, from forcing writers to use A.I. Until now, there had not yet been a major labor dispute that hinged so heavily on the growing threat to livelihood brought by A.I. And the pioneering deal the WGA struck with the studios will help — at least in the short term — serve as a template.

Persons: A.I, —, Buckle Organizations: CNN, Guild of America, WGA

☆ Striking actors and Hollywood studios to restart talks days after writers announce a new tentative labor contract
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Jon Passantino | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Striking actors and the Hollywood studios will resume negotiations on a new labor contract on Monday, SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union, said Wednesday, the same day writers ended their own strike in the entertainment industry. Several executives from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers member companies will be attending the meetings, the union said. The writers and actors had been negotiating over many similar issues, such as compensation as streaming has changed the entertainment industry and the role of AI in creating movies and shows. SAG-AFTRA has been on strike since July 14, joining the fray a little more than two months after the writers strike began. Since then, the two unions have seemed to operate in lockstep with each other.

Persons: ”, AFTRA Organizations: CNN, Hollywood, Alliance, Television Producers, Writers Guild of America, WGA, SAG

☆ Writers Guild board votes to authorize members to go back to work
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The Hollywood writers strike is finally over after 148 days. Leaders of the Writers Guild of America have unanimously voted to authorize its members to return to work following the tentative agreement reached Sunday between union negotiators and Hollywood’s studios and streaming services, effectively ending the months-long strike that has paralyzed the industry. This allows writers to return to work during the ratification process, but does not affect the membership’s right to make a final determination on contract approval,” the WGA wrote online. Most writers’ minimum pay will increase 5% immediately, another 4% in May 2024 and then another 3.5% in May 2025. Bill Maher, who said he would return to air during the writers strike before backing off that pledge, announced Tuesday his show would officially come back Friday.

Persons: ’, ”, Bill Maher Organizations: CNN, Hollywood, Writers Guild of America, WGAE, WGA, SAG, Netflix, Disney

☆ SAG-AFTRA strike: All eyes on actors union following tentative deal between studios and writers
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Eva Rothenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The tentative WGA deal increases pressure on SAG-AFTRA to reach an agreement along the same lines, although the actors union still has enough leverage to keep productions shut down. The studio’s resolution with WGA will likely pave the way for a deal with SAG-AFTRA within the next few weeks. The writers guild was going to fight the big fight, and the actors will use the gains writers made and customize them for their needs.”SAG-AFTRA has been on strike since July 14, joining the fray a little more than two months after the writers strike began. A major issue for the actors union is a wage increase of 11% in the first year of the proposed contract term, while the studios have only agreed to a 5% pay raise. According to Nunan, talks with the WGA will likely make studios more amenable to collaborative talks with SAG-AFTRA.

Persons: ”, Tom Nunan, AFTRA, Nunan, “, we’ve, ‘, ’ ”, “ It’s, It’s Organizations: CNN, Writers Guild of America, Alliance, Television Producers, Hollywood, SAG, WGA

☆ Directors Guild of America ratifies new contract with studios
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Vanessa Yurkevich | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Members of the Directors Guild of America voted to approve a new three-year contract with studios Friday, with 87% of membership voting in favor of the deal. The contract, which was recommended by the DGA negotiating committee was a “historic” deal for wages, work hours, residuals, and artificial intelligence. The tentative agreement was reached against the backdrop of the Writers Guild Strike, which has been going on for eight weeks. AMPTP and the Writers Guild were not able to come up with a deal before their contract expired on May 1. This vote result could set the tone and precedent for the striking Writers Guild.

Persons: ”, Lesli Linka Glatter, Alec Baldwin, Halyna Hutchins, AMPTP Organizations: CNN, Guild of America, DGA, Alliance, Television Producers, Apple, CBS, Disney, NBC Universal, Netflix, Paramount Global, Sony, Warner Bros ., Writers Guild, Artificial Intelligence, IA, Teamsters, SAG

While there have been improvements in diversity within writers' rooms in recent years, writers of color, women of color, disabled writers and LGBTQ+ writers in Hollywood still lag in opportunities. Demands for more compensation and larger writers' rooms may be newer concerns for what Hines refers to as the "upper echelon of writers," but this has been an unresolved struggle for underrepresented writers for years. "When it comes to the issues of writers of color, there's a constant feeling of being left out of the negotiation," Hines said. Many WGA members also believe the specific strike demands, including adding larger writers' rooms, offer a better chance for writers on the sidelines to join in. "That would be absolutely huge for all kinds of underrepresented writers, and disabled writers as well, because we are wildly underrepresented," said Jamey Perry, vice chair of the WGA's Disabled Writers Committee and "Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector" writer.

☆ TV and film writers are fighting to save their jobs from AI. They won’t be the last
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

A powerful new crop of AI tools, trained on vast troves of data online, can now generate essays, song lyrics and other written work in response to user prompts. While there are clearly limits for how well AI tools can produce compelling creative stories, these tools are only getting more advanced, putting writers like August on guard. But as part of their demands, the WGA is also fighting to protect their livelihoods from AI. Stephanie Elam/CNNWhile film and TV writers in Hollywood may currently be leading the charge, professionals in other industries will almost certainly be paying attention. “Watch this #WGA strike carefully,” Justine Bateman, a writer, director and former actress, wrote in a tweet shortly after the strike kicked off.

The vote announced Monday afternoon showed 97.9% of participating union members voting to approve a potential strike. A file photo shows members of the Writers Guild of America walk the picket line in New York during their last strike in 2007. Unions typically conduct a strike authorization vote during the course of negotiations, and they almost always get approved by overwhelming margins. Negotiators for the AMPTP and the Writers Guild met at the negotiating table on Friday, according to one producer close to negotiations. AMPTP gave WGA new proposals in response to some of the Guild’s contract requests – and is awaiting review and feedback on those Monday, along with the strike vote results, the producer said.

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