WGA Votes On Whether To End Strike

The power to put the entertainment industry back to work was in the hands of Writers Guild of America members Tuesday as they voted on whether to end their 3-month strike after a tentative contract deal was reached.

Michael Winship, president of the Writers Guild of America, East, said he was confident the vote would end the walkout as soon as Wednesday.

Voting started in New York, with guild members in Los Angeles set to begin casting ballots later in the day. The results of the vote were expected to be available late Tuesday night.

Winship said members were well-informed about a tentative contract agreement with studios that was approved Sunday by the guild’s board of directors. A number of writers voiced support for the agreement during informational meetings over the weekend.

“I think it’s a very informed vote. They’ve had a few days to think about this,” Winship said before the New York voting started at a Times Square hotel. “And they’ve had 14 weeks on the picket line.”

Guild leaders said the proposed contract said secures writers a share of the burgeoning digital-media market, including compensation for Internet-delivered TV shows and movies.

Member approval would restart TV production and remove a boycott threat from this month’s Oscars.