Writers Vote to End Strike
Last night, Hollywood’s writers overwhelmingly voted in favor of ending their 100-day strike.
92.5% of the 3,775 writers who cast ballots voted to end the strike. “The strike is over. Our membership has voted, and writers can go back to work,” said Patric Verrone, President of the Writers Guild of America West.
The vote came on the heels of a tentative three-year agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The unions still have to decide whether to ratify the contract, but it appears that ratification will be little more than a formality. The big breakthrough in the negotiations came when the parties agreed to payments for digital distribution exceeding the terms of a recent deal between Hollywood producers and the Directors Guild.
The strike forced millions of Americans to do things other than watch TV for several weeks.
The lesson? As expressed by at least one exec, Leslie Moonves, CEO of CBS, the key to future peace with the unions will be building stronger relationships and more frequent communication. Said Moonves, “The lesson is, we shouldn’t meet every three years.”