PBS Writers Ratify Groundbreaking New Deal

BOSTON, LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK (December 18, 2024) – Writers Guild of America (WGA) members at PBS overwhelmingly ratified a new three-year collective bargaining agreement with management at PBS member stations WGBH, THIRTEEN and PBS SoCal.

The deal follows a strike authorization vote by the 95-member bargaining unit, a pledge to not cross a picket line signed by over 200 animation writers and a solidarity petition signed by more than 1,250 members of the Writers Guild of America including Stanley Nelson Jr., Geoffrey C. Ward, John Oliver, Soo Hugh, Seth Meyers, Anya Epstein, David Simon and Lilly Wachowski.

Here are highlights from the deal:

• All minimum rates will increase annually at the same percentage as the WGA’s Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA): 3.5% upon ratification; 3% on July 1, 2025; July 1, 2026 to follow the 2026 MBA;
• The Companies clarified that they will pay writer-producers a writing fee separately from their producing fee;
• The Companies will contribute an additional .5% of covered earnings to the PWGA Health Fund and any PBS writer covered by WGA health benefits may take up to eight weeks of protected, paid parental leave ($2,000 per week), even if they are not currently working;
• The WGA now covers animated programs over 5 minutes in length made for TV and new media. Pension & Health contributions will be paid on top of script fees for all writers and on top of weekly salaries for staff writers, head writers, and story editors. Minimum rates will be in place for animated episodes that were greenlit after December 9, 2024. Animation writers will also receive residuals for AVOD and SVOD reuse (2% and 1.2% of accountable receipts, respectively);
• PBS will abide by the terms and protections won in the 2023 MBA on Artificial Intelligence;
• Live action programs over 8 minutes that are made for new media, with budgets that are similar to PBS’s made-for-TV national programs, will have full WGA terms. Additionally, live action programs over 8 minutes that don’t have similar budgets to comparable national TV programs will have negotiable rates and residuals, but will be covered by other WGA terms like union security, credits, AI protections, written contracts with defined terms, pension and health contributions, etc.;
• Live action programs shown on PBS internet platforms (i.e.: Passport) outside of their broadcast license now pay 20% of the minimum for the first three-year out-of-license use period (up from 17.5%) and 15% of the minimum for additional internet use after that (up from 12.5%).
• Reuse on AVOD (Advertising-based Video on Demand) platforms now pays 2% of gross receipts to the credited writer(s) (up from 1.2%).

“PBS writers secured a groundbreaking contract with their unwavering solidarity,” said WGAE President Lisa Takeuchi Cullen. “This contract covers PBS animation writers for the first time. It also clarifies that writer-producers must be paid for each respective job function, and provides AI protections, paid parental leave and many other critical gains.”

The WGA-PBS bargaining committee said, “This historic contract is the result of the strength and solidarity shown by our fellow PBS writers, the members of the Writers Guild of America, and the animation writing community. With the support of the dedicated WGA East staff, we were able to secure a deal that provides key protections for all PBS writers.  At a time when the mission of public television is more important than ever, we look forward to working with the stations to continue creating programs that inform, educate, and inspire.”

ABOUT THE WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA

The Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) and the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) are labor unions of writers in motion pictures, television, news, podcasts and online media. The Guilds negotiate and administer contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of their members; conduct programs, seminars, and events on issues of interest to writers; and present writers’ views to various bodies of government. For more information on the Writers Guild of America East, visit wgaeast.org. For more information on the Writers Guild of America West, visit wga.org.

###