What We Know About the WGA, AMPTP’s ‘Tentative’ Deal

Published: April 7, 2026

Hollywood, faith — Photo by Aman on Unsplash

By India McCarty

The Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have come to a tentative agreement following a month of negotiations.

“Today the WGA Negotiating Committee unanimously approved a four-year tentative agreement with the AMPTP for the 2026 Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA),” WGA posted on their website. “Crucially, it protects our health plan and puts it on a sustainable path, with increased company contributions across many areas and long-needed increases to health contribution caps. The new contract also builds on gains from 2023 and helps address free work challenges.”

The AMPTP also posted about the deal, writing that they have “reached a tentative agreement with the WGA.”

“We look forward to building on this progress as we continue working toward agreements that support long-term industry stability,” the statement continued.

View this post on Instagram

The deal reached between the WGA and the AMPTP reportedly “includes a big infusion of cash (AKA millions and millions of $$$) into the guild’s long troubled health and pension funds,” per Deadline.

According to NPR, the new four-year contract contains “rules around the use of artificial intelligence, such as licensing for AI training,” as well as “pension increases and extra compensation for streaming video on demand.”

The agreement comes a few weeks before the expiration of the union’s current contract on May 1 and will have to go before the WGA members for a vote to win approval, a process that could take several weeks.

Many have expressed surprise at how quickly the two groups reached a deal, as they have had a contentious relationship in the past.

“We want a reset in the relationship, and we’re going to do our part,” a labor insider told Deadline. “We’re having constructive dialogue.”

This deal comes amid an ongoing dispute between WGA West and its own staff union, including workers in the legal and communication fields. Several went on an independent strike in Los Angeles in February.

“The employees allege WGA West management was engaging in unfair labor practices, union-busting activities and bad faith bargaining,” NPR reported, adding that staff union said members who went on strike “had lost health insurance coverage.”

The WGA even canceled its annual West Coast award show in March as a result of the staff union strike, which is still unresolved.

The deal between the WGA and the AMPTP isn’t finalized yet, but many are hopeful that the speediness of negotiations between the two groups is a signal of a better future for their relationship.

Questions or comments? Please write to us here.