The 35 writers who literally put the words in the mouths of Big Bird, Elmo, and the eternal “good friends” Bert and Ernie agreed to a new five-year contract, averting a picket line on “Sesame Street,” NBC News reports. The Writers Guild of America reported the members approved the deal unanimously in a Friday vote.
The deal includes provisions about improving pay for social media posts, animated segments, and other creative uses of content. It also provides protections against the use of artificial intelligence, improves royalty payments for streaming use, and increases parental leave benefits.
“We are so proud to work for an organization that values its writers, and we believe this new contract will positively impact writers throughout the children’s media landscape. ‘S’ truly is for Solidarity. We are glad to have a contract in place that allows Sesame to do what it does best — lead,” the union’s unit that negotiated the deal said in a statement.