The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has published the details of its new four-year contract with the AMPTP. The centrepiece of the agreement is a massive financial injection by the studios into the authors' health insurance - at the same time, however, the members' own contributions will increase noticeably.

According to the union, the studios pay a total of around 321 million US dollars into the WGA Health Fund. This will cushion an impending structural deficit, which has totalled around 200 million dollars in recent years. The contributions mark a significant jump compared to the last major adjustment in 2017, when the AMPTP contributed around 65 million dollars.

Higher contributions for members

In return, the costs for the authors themselves will be increased. In future, members will pay 75 dollars per month for individual insurance and 200 dollars for family insurance - Previously, individual insurance was free of charge, while families paid 50 dollars.

In addition, the income threshold for access to insurance cover will be raised by ten per cent. Deductibles and upper limits for co-payments will also be adjusted.

Streaming participation increases

One of the few direct improvements for members relates to remuneration in the streaming segment. The performance bonus increases from 50 to 75 per cent of the basic remuneration - a point that is particularly significant in view of the growing importance of streaming platforms as a revenue model.

AI remains regulated without obligation

The regulations on artificial intelligence are less far-reaching. The studios only undertake to inform the WGA if works by authors are used for AI training. The union was unable to enforce an obligation to pay remuneration for training data. Instead, the exchange on AI topics is to be continued.

Classification

The new contract primarily stabilises the ailing financing of WGA health insurance, but shifts some of the burden onto the members themselves. At the same time, the major structural conflict surrounding AI copyrights remains unresolved for the time being - despite the massive upheaval that the technology is already causing in the industry.