Hollywood writers, producers reach deal to avert strike

LOS ANGELES — A tentative deal was reached between screenwriters and producers Tuesday, averting a strike that could have crippled TV and film production.

The three-year agreement, which requires ratification by members of the Writers Guild of America, was confirmed by the guild and producers’ spokesman Jarryd Gonzales shortly after the current contract expired early Tuesday. The deal came after a flurry of last-minute bargaining, conducted during a media blackout that offered no tangible details about whether picket lines would go up until after midnight Tuesday.

In a memo to its members, the guild said gains were made across the board, including contributions to the union’s health plan that should “ensure its solvency for years to come” — an issue that writers considered key.

The union said it also made strides in pay for series with fewer episodes per season, and in residuals. Members will net $130 million US more over the contract’s life than they were expected to accept, according to the memo. No details were released by the producers.

The agreement spares the late-night shows that would immediately have gone dark without writers, and allows the networks to pursue their schedules for the upcoming TV season without interruption. Movie production would have felt a strike’s sting more gradually.

Guild members voted overwhelmingly last month to authorize a strike, and the WGA could have called for an immediate walkout Tuesday. The previous writers’ strike extracted an estimated $2 billion US toll on the state of California. The producers group said the 2007-08 strike cost writers $287 million in lost compensation.