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Writers Guild of America Ratifies Four-Year Deal with Studios and Streamers
Members of the Writers Guild of America approved a new four-year contract with studios and streamers, injecting $321 million into the union's health plan. The deal, ratified by over 90 percent of voters, includes raises in minimum payments and changes to health coverage. It builds on gains from the 2023 strike while addressing ongoing healthcare costs.
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Members of the Writers Guild of America ratified a four-year deal with studios and streamers on Friday, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The pact injects $321 million into the union’s health plan. The WGA’s 148-day strike occurred in 2023. Union members had to accept changes to their health plan as part of the deal.
Starting in 2027, individual plan users will be required to pay $75 per month for a PPO plan that previously had no premium. Earnings thresholds required to qualify for the health plan will increase. The contract introduces a lower-cost health plan alternative with a $25 per month premium.
Leaders of the union’s Committee of Black Writers informed members on April 15 that they would vote no on ratifying the contract. Some members accepted the adjustments, while others were not convinced.
It increases the residual base for domestic and foreign high-budget streaming projects. The deal expands the union’s second-step payment for screenplays.
It limits requests for rewrites or delivery to the named person on a writer’s contract. These changes address employers asking for free work from writers. The union’s AI language remains largely unchanged from the 2023 agreement.
Studios agreed in the 2026 deal to notify the union and give them the opportunity to bargain if they license writers’ work to train a commercial generative AI system that will produce outputs. New Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers president Greg Hessinger negotiated the pact on behalf of studios and streamers.
