The Negotiating Committee of the Writers Guild of America West has announced a tentative deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on a new three-year contract. That news will prompt deep exhales on the part of some who perhaps feared a long battle and threats of a strike. I don't think that was ever possible but these days, folks worry about a lot of things that aren't going to happen.
The announcement members received says in part, "The Negotiating Committee will meet tomorrow to officially vote on sending the tentative agreement to the WGAW Board of Directors and WGAE Council for approval prior to member ratification." I'm not sure I understand this. Why are they telling us they have a deal when they haven't even voted among themselves to submit it to the two Boards? Maybe this is some kind of protocol that's above my pay grade.
Precise details of what's in the deal have not been released but there seem to be no shocking improvements and it doesn't seem to be out of line with what the Directors Guild and the actors have already accepted. This means that several vocal members of the WGA will decry it as a sellout and the charge will be made that the increases are way too low and the gains, few and far-between. Even the triumphant press release admits that many crucial areas remain unaddressed.
Those who say it's not good enough will probably be right. They usually are about any deal made without a strike and even some that are. The question though is whether the resolve and resources are there to reject this offer and to say we will go out if a better one doesn't come along. I don't think anyone really believes that this guild at this time is ready to picket rather than accept a deal not unlike what the directors and actors went for.