Editorials > WRITERS STRIKE OFFICIALLY OVER

After nearly one hundred days out on the picket lines, the Writers Guild of America has made a deal with the major studios and the scribes are headed back to work. Guild officials in New York and Los Angeles reported that 3,775 writers turned out to cast votes, and a whopping 92.5% of them voted to end the strike.

However, the actual three-year contract has not been ratified yet. Meetings and a vote will be held on February 25th. But the official word from Patric Verrone of the WGA West is:

Our membership has voted, and writers can go back to work. This was not a strike we wanted, but one we had to conduct in order to win jurisdiction and establish appropriate residuals for writing in new media and on the Internet. Those advances now give us a foothold in the digital age. Rather than being shut out of the future of content creation and delivery, writers will lead the way as TV migrates to the Internet and platforms for new media are developed.

Even so, tough times could be ahead for writers as they try to get back into the good graces of their producers. But in the long term, this strike is expected to have a very positive result.

This should mean that the Oscars are officially back on, and most of the film projects that weren't too deeply shelved will go back into development as well. We'll keep you updated as far as individual projects are concerned. Enjoy the return of quality entertainment (and some pablum, too).

-David Morgan