For the first time in more than three months, TV showrunners are heading back to the office on Monday.
Scribes who also have producing responsibilities on their shows will be allowed to return to work on Monday while the WGA conducts a membership vote on Monday and Tuesday on whether to formally lift the strike, WGA West prexy Patric Verrone said Sunday at a news conference to discuss the guild’s new contract and the vote to end the strike.
Given the overwhelming support for the deal expressed by WGA members at meetings in Gotham and L.A. on Saturday, it’s expected that the strike will be in the past tense by Wednesday.
Industry sources also report that the WGA contract reached with the majors is expected to include a provision that will allow scribes who were force majeuered from ongoing series to return to their old jobs. Insiders cautioned that some of force majeure issues are still being worked out by guild and AMPTP reps. The contract does not address those who were force majeured from overall deals and other contracts if they were not working on a series that will resume production.
The TV biz was hit last month with a wave of firings and terminations of more than 70 writing and producing deals by the major studios as they invoked the force majeure provisions allowing them to terminate those contracts as a result of the prolonged strike.
--Cynthia Littleton and Dave McNary
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