Writers Guild of America and ABC Announce Tentative Settlement of 53-Day Strike

The Writers Guild of America and ABC announced Thursday in New York a tentative settlement to the 53-day-old strike by network and local broadcast news writers.

The union’s negotiating committee recommended that its 175 members approve a contract proposal submitted by ABC. Terms of the tentative contract were not immediately available, except that it is retroactive to March 2, when the strike began. A ratification vote was scheduled for Saturday.

The Writers Guild ended a similar strike against CBS on April 16.

ABC dropped two contested issues in Thursday’s proposal--plans for non-union preparation of the network’s video feed for affiliated stations and a minority hiring program that would have paid less than union wages.

“I believe now that this long and difficult strike can finally be ended,” said Mona Mangan, the union’s chief negotiator, in a prepared statement.

In the areas of layoffs and discharge, ABC’s proposal was similar to the terms of the settlement with CBS, Mangan said. As did CBS, ABC agreed to give amnesty to anyone who had refused to cross the guild’s picket line.