WGA Members Ratify New 4-Year Deal with Film and TV Studios

The term of the latest minimum basic agreement (MBA) will run from May 2, 2026 to May 1, 2030.

Writers Guild of America members with both the West and East branches of the guild have ratified a new contract with the film and TV studios via the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the guild announced on Friday.

Over 90 percent of voting members voted in favor of the new deal, and 9.62 percent voted against it. This new deal will now be in place for four years instead of three, which was a priority for the studios, and it is effective between May 2, 2026 through May 1, 2030.

“In the face of industry contraction and runaway healthcare cost inflation, writers were able to secure a contract that returns our Health Fund to a sustainable path and builds on gains from the 2023 strike,” said WGAW President Michele Mulroney. “We could not have achieved that without a thoughtful negotiating committee led by co-chairs Danielle Sanchez-Witzel and John August, the WGAW Board and WGAE Council, and our professional WGA staff. We thank all writers who supported us during the process.”

After quickly reaching a deal earlier this month, which came as a surprise for a guild that is usually more hard-lined in negotiations, guild leadership revealed terms in which the studios would contribute a projected $280 million to the union’s health plan over the four years, which was in a dire place heading into negotiations. Among some of the other new improvements in this contract were raises to the minimum wages of 10.5 percent, better residuals, and an increase in the bonus given to writers on the top performing streaming shows. Additionally, writers won new protections for “page-one” rewrites that gives writers flexibility to explore other writing opportunities while waiting for a show to get picked up, and it expands protections for writers against having to do free work. And while there were no significant improvements for compensation for artificial intelligence, the new guild codified the prior wins made in 2023.

“Now, our Guilds will turn to the core work of enforcing the MBA and ensuring writers are paid properly for our work, as we monitor the industry trends around streaming and AI,” said WGAE President Tom Fontana. “It’s our constant engagement and vigilance between negotiations that make our unions strong.”

“The AMPTP congratulates the WGA on the ratification of its new contract, which includes historic investments in the writers’ health plan, meaningful improvements in residuals and wages, and important safeguards for their work. This deal reflects a collaborative approach that supports both writers and the industry’s long-term stability. We look forward to building on this progress to reach fair agreements with SAG-AFTRA and the DGA that support greater certainty while fostering opportunity across the industry.”

With the writers out of the way, SAG-AFTRA will resume its negotiations on Monday after having started talks back in February. The Directors Guild will then begin talks later in May.