Did Bill Maher and Drew Barrymore facilitate an end to the Writers Guild of America strike?
Christopher Tremoglie
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The entertainment strike that lasted for over four months is over. The Writers Guild of America Negotiating Committee notified its members on Sunday of a tentative deal to end the work stoppage, the Washington Examiner’s Conrad Hoyt reported.
Later on Tuesday, the union officially notified its members the strike would formally end as of 12:01 a.m. on Sept. 27. The stalemate lasted 148 days.
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“The WGAW Board and WGAE Council also voted to lift the restraining order and end the strike as of 12:01 am PT/3:01 am ET on Wednesday, September 27th. 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 writers union said in a statement online.
The WGA claimed victory in its letter to members. The union cited an increase in pay in the new contract as part of the negotiations. Additionally, the new agreement will supposedly provide improved benefits, guaranteed compensation to writers when movies and shows are used by streaming services, and limitations of studios using artificial intelligence, CNN reported.
The resolution of the deal comes only days after talk show hosts Bill Maher and Drew Barrymore announced they would break ranks with the union and restart production of their shows. Both reversed decisions late last week. A few days later, the strike ended, and the WGA claimed victory.
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However, the timing of the deal is quite the coincidence. The stoppage had dragged on for months with seemingly no end in sight as of last week.
Yet shortly after two talk show hosts announced they were crossing the picket lines, the stoppage was suddenly over. The threat of Maher and Barrymore restarting production on their shows would seem to have expedited a resolution.