WGA Overwhelmingly Ratifies New Contract With AMPTP

The members of the WGA West and WGA East have overwhelmingly ratified a new three-year deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

The writers guild reported Wednesday that the contract was approved by 90.7 percent of the 1,952 valid votes cast in Los Angeles and New York.

The new agreement will run from May 2 through May 1, 2014.

In a joint statement, WGAW president John Wells and WGAE president Michael Winship said: “We are very pleased that our joint membership has voted so strongly to ratify our 2011 Minimum Basic Agreement. Valuable advances have been made in our pension plan and in other areas important to writers. Nonetheless, we also recognize that much remains to be done. To that end, we have positioned ourselves for some hard and important work in the years ahead as we endeavor to further the needs and rights of our members.”

The AMPTP issued a statement regarding the WGA ratification: “Ratification of the new agreement between the AMPTP and the Writers Guild of America is a significant achievement for both parties and an important milestone for the industry. Taking into account the agreement reached with the WGA, the industry has now successfully concluded an agreement with each of the major guilds over the past six months. Taken together, these agreements will give the industry an opportunity for a sustained period of labor peace.”

The new contract includes increases in contributions to the WGA pension plan, increased reuse payments in pay TV and increased minimums.

Email: gregg.kilday@thr.com