Joe Biden Hails Tentative Agreement To End WGA Strike, Adam Schiff And Other Political Figures Also Weigh In — Update

UPDATED, with additional comment: President Joe Biden praised the tentative agreement to end the Writers Guild of America strike, saying that it showed that workers “deserve a fair share of the value their labor helped create.”

In a statement on Monday, Biden said: “I applaud the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers for reaching a tentative agreement that will allow writers to return to the important work of telling the stories of our nation, our world – and of all of us. This agreement, including assurances related to artificial intelligence, did not come easily. But its formation is a testament to the power of collective bargaining. There simply is no substitute for employers and employees coming together to negotiate in good faith toward an agreement that makes a business stronger and secures the pay, benefits, and dignity that workers deserve. I urge all employers to remember that all workers – including writers, actors, and autoworkers – deserve a fair share of the value their labor helped create.”

Biden weighed in on the strike at a White House event in May, shortly after the WGA walked out, and called for writers to get “a fair deal they deserve as soon as possible.”

But unlike his plans to join the picket lines this week of the United Auto Workers, Biden has stayed away from Los Angeles during the WGA and SAG-AFTRA unrest. That has included fundraising in Southern California, as his re-election campaign has drawn high-dollar contributions from studio figures and writers and actors.

The WGA and AMPTP announced a tentative agreement on Sunday, with exact details to be announced. It’s still subject to drafting of final contract language, with votes by the guild committees tentatively scheduled for Tuesday. It then needs to be ratified by members, but there might be a vote before then to lift the strike. In the meantime, all picketing has been suspended.

The SAG-AFTRA strike, meanwhile, is still ongoing.

Biden joined other political figures in praising the agreement. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom quickly sent out statements in support after the tentative agreement was announced.

Biden plans to join the UAW picket lines on Tuesday. He then will head to California for a westward swing that includes fundraising. But his schedule is centered on the Bay Area, not Los Angeles.

Other political figures also weighed in on the settlement. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) told Deadline, “I think it ended in a good place, and I’m grateful for the sacrifice that the writers made over those long months to get such a good agreement that I think will not only benefit them but will also benefit workers in other professions.”

Unlike Biden, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Schiff did walk the picket lines, as did two of his rivals for the Senate, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee.

“I was proud to be there and walk the picket lines with the writers and the actors,” he said. “I have been proud to support the hotel workers and school employees and others who are striking for better wages and working conditions and healthcare and retirement. I think a fundamental challenge facing the country right now is the economy is still not working for millions of people, and I think it is the result of decades in which labor has been marginalized. And it’s become more difficult to organize, more difficult to form a union, more difficult to get a contract when you are in a union, or to enforce the terms of a contract when you get one. And I think as a result, it’s increasingly difficult for people to afford housing and medicine and food. So this to me is one of the central challenges, and I am proud to be on the aide of working people and stand shoulder to shoulder with them during the strike.”

He said that he thinks that the WGA deal will be a “template” for resolving the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Porter wrote on Twitter, The courage and conviction of the WGA West and WGA East can’t be overstated. For 146 days, America’s writers stood together to demand fair pay and residuals, better conditions, and AI protections. This tentative agreement is a testament to worker power.”

Lee wrote, “Their victory is undeniable proof that when we unite and organize against corporate greed, we win better wages and conditions. Studio executives must reach a fair deal with SAG-AFTRA next!”