WGA ratifies new pact with producers

LOS ANGELES, April 28 (UPI) -- Members of the Writers Guild of America have ratified a three-year deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

The WGA membership overwhelmingly voted in favor of ratifying the contract by 90.7 percent of 1,952 valid votes cast. The agreement runs through May 1, 2014.

"We are very pleased that our joint membership has voted so strongly to ratify our 2011 Minimum Basic Agreement. We'd also like to express special thanks to our staffs and the negotiating committee for their diligence and expertise. Valuable advances have been made in our pension plan and in other areas important to writers. Nonetheless, we also recognize that much remains to be done. To that end, we have positioned ourselves for some hard and important work in the years ahead as we endeavor to further the needs and rights of our members," WGA West President John Wells and WGA East President Michael Winship said in a joint statement Wednesday.

"Ratification of the new agreement between the AMPTP and the Writers Guild of America is a significant achievement for both parties and an important milestone for the industry," AMPTP said in a separate statement. "Taking into account the agreement reached with the WGA, the industry has now successfully concluded an agreement with each of the major guilds over the past six months. Taken together, these agreements will give the industry an opportunity for a sustained period of labor peace."