Contract Ratified by Sesame Workshop Writers Union

After facing a potential strike threat, Sesame Workshop writers have successfully ratified a new five-year labor contract that has been hailed as “groundbreaking” by their union president. The Writers Guild of America East and West, representing the writers of beloved shows like Sesame Street, Helpsters, and The Not Too Late Show With Elmo, announced the results of the vote on Friday.

Twenty-eight out of the 35 workers voted in favor of the tentative deal reached on April 19, with the remaining seven abstaining from voting. The new agreement expands the scope of work covered under the union contract to include writing for projects distributed on SVOD platforms, educational programs, new media videos shared on platforms like TikTok and YouTube, and animated titles.

WGA East president Lisa Takeuchi Cullen emphasized the significance of the new contract, stating that it contains “groundbreaking protections” for the writers. The deal includes a 3.5 percent increase in minimum wage rates in the first year and a 3 percent increase in the second year, with subsequent wage rate hikes to follow based on the WGA’s negotiations in 2026.

The agreement also includes AI protections, pension, health, and paid parental leave contributions, improvements to new media residuals, and higher minimum script fees. The negotiations came to a resolution just days before the writers were set to potentially strike, with a compromise reached on the final day before the contract’s expiration.

Geoff Betts, the WGA East director of contract enforcement & credits, led the negotiations for the union, while Taska Carrigan, Sesame Workshop’s svp of production management, operations, business affairs, and legal, represented the employer in the negotiations.