ABC Inc, the Walt Disney Entertainment division, said on Friday around 250 of its writers will continue to work after agreeing to a new contract that will run through January 2010.

Michael Winship, president of the Writers Guild of America East, released a statement Friday saying, We are pleased that our members at ABC News have ratified their new contract. Now they can continue to use their unique knowledge and skills to provide quality journalism to the American people.

In a meeting with the WGAE that concluded Friday morning in Washington, ABC news employees voted 79 percent to 21 percent in favor of the contract.

The contract is effective immediately and covers approximately 250 newswriters, editors, desk assistants, production assistants, graphic artists and researchers in New York and Washington, D.C, the statement said.

Under the terms of the agreement, WGAE and ABC employees will receive an annual raise of 3.5 percent.

More than ten thousand film and television writers in the United States have been on strike since November fifth and are now in its sixth week.The main issue revolves around compensating writers for materials used on the internet. Most shows have halted production and are currently in re-runs. The download market for TV shows and movies is still small but is expected to grow.