Writers strike officially over as board votes to approve new 3-year deal

LOS ANGELES — Board members of the Writers Guild of America on Tuesday voted unanimously to officially end the 148-day strike.

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The board of the WGA West and council of WGA East voted to lift the strike order as of 3:01 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, Variety reported. Those moves officially authorized approximately 1,500 members to return to work, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

That also means that writers can return to work on Wednesday even before the final ratification vote, the entertainment news website reported.

“This allows writers to return to work during the ratification process, but does not affect the membership’s right to make a final determination on contract approval,” the WGA negotiating committee said in a statement.

On Sunday, the WGA reached a tentative agreement on the three-year contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

The ratification vote will be held between Oct. 2 and Oct. 9, Variety reported.

The WGA will hold member meetings on both coasts in person and via Zoom meetings to discuss details of the contract, the magazine reported.

The next step for the AMPTP is to make a deal with the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, according to Deadline.

The end of the impasse means that late-night comedy shows and daytime talk shows will be able to return almost immediately to the air because those shows were not included in the SAG-AFTRA strike, Deadline reported.

The SAG-AFTRA work stoppage began on July 14, Variety reported. Films and scripted TV shows that did not sign interim agreements with the union will remain dark until that strike is settled, Deadline reported.

Actors walking the picket line on Tuesday were encouraged by the Sunday’s news about the tentative agreement.

“For a hot second, I really thought that this was going to go on until next year,” Marissa Cuevas, an actor who has appeared on the TV series “Kung Fu” and “The Big Bang Theory,” told The Associated Press. “Knowing that at least one of us has gotten a good deal gives a lot of hope that we will also get a good deal.”

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