Writers Vote to End 100-Day Strike

The New York Times reports the 100-day writers strike has come to an end: "Of 3,775 writers who cast ballots, 92.5% voted in favor of ending the strike…The decision to end the strike became all but inevitable after the guilds' governing boards on Sunday unanimously approved the tentative three-year agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, following strong expressions of support at mass meetings on both coasts."

Union members must now vote to ratify the content within the next few days.  With the passage of the contract, writers for hit shows like "Saturday Night Live," "Gray's Anatomy," "Two and a Half Men" and "Heroes" can get back on-track with their storylines. Some hit series were fortunate to have many new episodes in-the-can before the strike began – while other TV shows and writers "crossed the picket line," deciding to go back to work despite the conflict.

The writers strike, which had left many of Americans stuck watching reruns, began November 5, 2007 following a breakdown in talks between producers and screenwriters over residuals from the world wide web and new media content.

Though no official number has been calculated, it has been estimated that this strike may have cost up to $285 million in lost wages.