WGA East Members at ABC News Ratify New Contract

NEW YORK, NY (January 28, 2025)— Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) members at ABC News overwhelming ratified a new three-year collective bargaining agreement.

In a precedent setting win for the industry, ABC News agreed to binding provisions regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) in its newsroom. The company agreed it will not lay off any current staff employees. ABC News must also provide at least three weeks’ notice of its intent to implement a GAI system that an employee may be required to use in connection with the preparation of written news material or other covered work. The company must bargain with the Guild over the impact of any new GAI systems and agrees to meet with the Guild semi-annually to discuss its use of GAI.

The 150-member ABC News bargaining unit made tremendous financial wins in their new contract, including:

• 3.5% pay increase per year for three years;
• Pay increase of over 17% for entry-level Desk Assistants in the first year of the contract;
• Additional 1.5% in contributions to the Health Fund and .5% will be diverted from wages in the second and third years of the agreement for employees who participate in the Funds;
• Temporary Employees in the WGA Health Fund are now eligible for paid parental leave, starting in the second year of the contract;
• Additional Paid Time Off, including for Juneteenth and a reduction in the number of days/hours that temporary employees must work to earn comp days;
• Introduced fees for Desk Assistants who work as assignment editors, producers, or perform broadcast support functions;
• The company will provide attribution to newswriters who write materials for broadcast that is used on a platform that is not covered by the agreement (such as websites and streaming).

The WGAE-ABC News bargaining committee said, “We are immensely proud of our new contract, which we’ve won as the result of the resilience and solidarity shown by our fellow WGA East members at ABC News. With their overwhelming support, we secured a deal that outlines groundbreaking protections against Generative AI and makes significant improvements to all our benefits”

“Now more than ever, we need journalists who can report and present the news while they are protected in their workplace,” said WGAE President Lisa Takeuchi Cullen. “A union contract is the only thing that ensures that protection. Our members and staff fought hard for this contract, and they deserve everything they won.”

In its Broadcast/Cable/Streaming News sector, WGA East members work at 1010 WINS, ABC News, Audacy (WCBS-AM, WBBM-AM, and KNX-AM), CBS News, CBS News 24/7, Fox 5 WNYW-TV, MSNBC, NBC Promo Writers, Thirteen Productions (Thirteen/WNET) and WBBM / CBS 2 News.

ABOUT THE WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA EAST
The Writers Guild of America East, AFL-CIO, is a labor union of more than 7,500 members working in film, television, news, podcasts and online media. The Guild negotiates and administers contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of its members; conducts programs, seminars and events on issues of interest to writers; and presents writers’ views to various bodies of government. For more information on the Writers Guild of America East, visit wgaeast.org.

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