A writers’ strike at PBS was narrowly averted on Thursday night as the Writers Guild of America East and member stations reached a deal.
The three stations involved in the negotiations — Boston-based WGBH, Tri-State-area station THIRTEEN and greater L.A.’s PBS SoCal — announced the tentative deal on Friday morning, with the union confirming the provisional agreement just a few hours later. “THIRTEEN, GBH, and PBS SoCal are pleased to have reached an agreement with WGA East. We look forward to continuing our work to deliver trusted public media to our audiences,” a spokesperson for the employer group stated on Friday morning.
The unionized writers covered under the contract work on programs including Frontline, American Masters, Nova and some Ken Burns specials. They also write for the animated series Cyberchase, Carl the Collector, Molly of Denali and Work It Out Wombats.
Few details are available about the deal at present, but according to the union, the deal “breaks new ground” in its coverage of animation writers, AI protections, protections for made-for-new media programs and paid parental leave. The contract also provides higher residuals for the reuse of programs on streaming services, easier access for writing teams to health insurance and “industry-standard” wage hikes.
The negotiations, which began in earnest in late September, have been turbulent. The union initially accused PBS of dragging out the talks and not engaging “meaningfully” on key demands. In October more than 1,000 WGA East members — including Seth Meyers, John Oliver and Amber Ruffin — signed a petition calling for their colleagues’ employers to “take these negotiations seriously and come to a fair deal.”
Tensions came to a head when the union announced on Monday that participating members of the bargaining unit had unanimously voted to authorize a strike. The union bargains on behalf of 94 staffers at WGBH, THIRTEEN and PBS SoCal, 84 percent of which turned out for the vote.
Ramping up the pressure, the union circulated PBS strike rules to its members on Wednesday, explaining that members cannot work for struck employers, negotiate with them or make future employment plans with them if a work stoppage is called. Animation writers for shows like Molly of Denali and Alma’s Way also signed a pledge agreeing not to cross a picket line in the event of a strike.
Now, the tentative deal will go to the PBS union members for an authorization vote. A vote date has not yet been set.
English (US) ·