WGA East and Story Syndicate Reach Deal on First Union Contract
NEW YORK, NY (June 24, 2025) — Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) members and management at media company Story Syndicate reached a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement. The contract was unanimously ratified by the 30-member bargaining unit, who work in nonfiction production.
Along with establishing compensation minimums across all titles, the three-year contract introduces the Entertainment Industry Benefit Plan (Flex Plan), which allows nonfiction workers to carry a health fund balance from gig to gig. Under the Flex Plan, the Employer will make healthcare contributions on behalf of each employee, per day worked, which together with portability addresses the problems of frequent short-term employment contracts and varying production schedules. Syndicate joins McGee Media, Jigsaw Productions, NBC News Studios (Peacock Productions), and Vox Entertainment as participating employers.
Additional highlights from the contract include:
– Fair minimum rates, especially for those at the lower end of the scale, and annual increases;
– Rest Period protections and overtime pay: Guarantees at minimum 9 or 10 hours between the time a bargaining unit employee leaves and returns to work. Extra pay for working 7 days. Partial pay for dark days if less than 7 days notice;
– Paid holidays, paid vacation days, bereavement and sick time, two weeks paid paternal leave and enhanced FMLA leave;
– Nondiscrimination and inclusion protections;
– Union Security;
– No Strike, no lockout provisions.
Story Syndicate, founded in 2019 and led by Liz Garbus and Dan Cogan, produces high-profile, award-winning nonfiction features and series, including “Harry and Meghan” (Netflix), “Titan: The OceanGate Disaster” (Netflix), “Sally” (National Geographic), and “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” (HBO).
Story Syndicate co-founders Dan Cogan and Liz Garbus said, “Our employees are the lifeblood of our productions. We’re thrilled that we’ve reached an agreement that opens up access to portable healthcare for our freelancers, as well as many other provisions that support our workers’ well-being. At the same time, this deal fits within the constraints of current market realities, enabling us to remain highly competitive in the budgeting of our productions. It’s a win-win.”
The Story Syndicate bargaining committee said, “We’re thrilled to celebrate securing our first collective bargaining agreement! We hope our contract will help set precedents throughout the nonfiction TV/film industry, and we stand in solidarity with our colleagues at Motion Picture Editors Guild IATSE Local 700 (MPEG)’s ongoing contract negotiations with Story Syndicate.”
In addition to Story Syndicate, the WGAE includes members at nonfiction production companies A+E Factual Studios, Garden Slate Productions, Jigsaw, Lion, Lucky 8, McGee Media, NBC News Service (f.k.a. Peacock), RadicalMedia, Sharp and Vox Entertainment.
ABOUT THE WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA EAST
The Writers Guild of America East, AFL-CIO, is a labor union of more than 7,500 members working in film, television, news, podcasts and online media. The Guild negotiates and administers contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of its members; conducts programs, seminars and events on issues of interest to writers; and presents writers’ views to various bodies of government. For more information on the Writers Guild of America East, visit wgaeast.org.
ABOUT STORY SYNDICATE
STORY SYNDICATE is a New York-based media company devoted to premium storytelling. Founded in 2019 by Academy Award®- and Emmy Award®-winning filmmakers Liz Garbus and Dan Cogan in the light of an evolving media landscape, Story Syndicate provides a home for talented storytellers to create ambitious and globally entertaining films, series, podcasts and digital content.
Story Syndicate’s projects have generated record-setting viewership (Harry & Meghan), been hailed as genre-defying landmarks (I’ll Be Gone in the Dark; Nuclear Family, Stolen Youth,), and led the cultural zeitgeist (Number One on the Call Sheet, Take Care of Maya, Britney vs Spears).
In scripted storytelling, Story Syndicate has a first-look television deal with Tomorrow Studios, a partnership with ITV Studios.
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