Writers Guild of America West Staff Ratify First Contract, Ending 82-Day Strike

The Writers Guild of America West staff strike has officially ended. The Writers Guild Staff Union announced on Saturday that 89 percent of participating members voted to ratify a tentative first contract, ending an 82-day strike. Seventy-seven union members voted to ratify the three-year deal while six voted not to ratify.

The contract was announced on Friday. It calls for the WGA West to take years of service into account during layoffs and protects concerted activity with its no-strike clause. The inaugural WGSU agreement resolves two issues that became major sticking points during the staff strike: seniority provisions and a no-strike clause.

The contract provides over $500,000 in wage increases across the 115-plus member bargaining unit, WGSU bargaining committee co-chair Missy Brown said in a statement. The deal offers minimum rate increases of at least 12 percent over the course of the contract. It raises the salary floor for unionized members from $43,000 to $57,000 a year.

The contract provides a longevity increase for staffers who stay with the union for specific periods of time. It establishes a wage scale similar to the one adhered to by the WGA East. The Hollywood Reporter reported that the union’s inaugural agreement marks the first such contract for the bargaining unit.

Additional provisions include just cause rules, a grievance procedure, AI protections and language surrounding temporary and contract staffers. The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to the WGA West for comment. “This was a long time coming.

I am glad I’m here to see it happen, and I couldn’t be prouder to stand alongside my union siblings,” WGSU member Alfie Ebojo said in a statement. The ratification brings to a close a labor action that lasted 82 days and produced the first comprehensive contract governing wages, job security and working conditions for more than 115 staff members at the Writers Guild of America West.