In 2023, the Writers Guild of America appeared to take no prisoners in its contract negotiations. The union’s leaders called a strike authorization vote less than a month in, negotiated down to the wire, then launched a strike that lasted nearly five months and only ended once some of the industry’s top CEOs got involved.
So it was understandable when, this year, heads spun as that same union handled its latest contract negotiations very differently. After just three weeks of talks, the WGA cut a surprise deal with the studios that was distinct in its concession to a key studio demand, for a longer deal (four years instead of the typical three) to assure a sustained period of labor peace.
So what happened? It was clear the WGA’s health plan was in dire straits, which affected the union’s leverage, but had the typically aggressive union undergone a complete
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