Strike nearing a decision point?

While all the detailing and chrome accessories have yet to be finalized, the WGA appears to be taking steps that could signal an end to the four-month-old TV and movie writers strike. WGA West has scheduled a general membership meeting for Saturday at which the details of a tentative contract between the writer’s union and the AMPTP will be announced and explained to membership.

If the deal passes muster with Saturday audiences, a union-wide ratification vote and an end to the work stoppage could take place within a week, just in time for the Academy Awards to move forward; some speculate that a few of the bigger network hits may even return to production to crank out several more episode prior to the traditional summer break and ramp-up to the fall TV debut.

If the strike does end, several shows like ABC’s Pushing Daisies are expected to wait until fall to return to air, while others will rush back into production as soon as the pistol sounds for the end of the strike. The Screen Actors Guild, however, may throw a wrench in the works; their contract is up in June and if an early deal is not worked out between AMPTP and SAG, we could be headed right back into a work stoppage, this time due to the actors rather than the writers.