 A Stronger Presence in the Community The WGAE plays an important role
in the working life of the industry, but extra effort is needed to make
the entire community aware of the Guild--its membership, its mission,
its challenges, and its successes. We’ve already seen enhancement
of our profile in industry news. Thanks to our rapprochement with
the WGAw, the distinct identity and concerns of the WGAE are now
identified more regularly and clearly. Below are some of the ways
WGAEmpowered will continue to work for a stronger identity and public
presence for the Guild.
Updating the Guild’s Website back to main page As our industry compels us to
deal with new technology, new technology gives us a powerful and
entertaining tool to make your connection with Guild more immediate and
more meaningful.
Later this year, the Guild will launch a new site, a new public face that expresses the character and concerns of writers more fluently than the present website. We intend to create a place where we can come together as a community of writers to exchange ideas and to gather information. It has the potential to become a powerful organizing tool, and it must play a vital role in keeping members informed throughout the 2007 MBA negotiations Events and Outreach for All Members back to main page
Union Growth back to main page
Relations with the WGAw back to main page Impatient with the waste of
energy, money and thought that characterized an increasingly harmful
conflict, members of both Guilds met, talked and settled the rift that
was crippling the Guilds and hurting the members.
There is still much work to be done, but every successful meeting, each gesture of support for the other’s labor actions, each joint event, brings the WGAE and WGAw closer to where they belong…shoulder to shoulder in solidarity before our real adversaries – the employers who would prefer us divided, inattentive, and weakened Coverage for Animation back to main page Some of the highest earning films
have been animated. TV has created an animation goldmine, with
companies reaping huge profits from programming, merchandise and
licensing. But the vast majority of writers working in animation
see precious little of these profits and WGAEmpowered is keenly aware
of this.
With few exceptions, animation remains outside the Guild's jurisdiction. Writers receive no guaranteed minimums, no residuals, no health and pension and no credit protection. This may be historical, it may have precedents, but it is unfair. Crafting a script for even an 11- minute cartoon can be as intricate and demanding as writing a short screenplay. Animation writers' work -- including projects they actually helped to create (replays?) -- plays endlessly. That work spawns toys, clothing, downloads and theme park rides. But still it remains a struggle to get animation covered and writers reasonably compensated under the MBA. There has been some progress in individual productions, but the long hard slog continues. There are WGAE members who make most of their income freelancing in animation, scrambling to pick up enough Guild-covered work to keep their health plans active. WGAEmpowered will keep full -- and long-overdue -- coverage for animation writers a key goal. Organizing Basic Cable back to main page
Strengthening Newswriters back to main page About one third of the WGAE
membership doesn’t work under the MBA.
For convenience, these members are called ‘newswriters,’ but they’re actually radio and television professionals of every stripe: producers, writers, production assistants, desk assistants, graphic artists and many others. As you read this, the Guild has been negotiating contracts with CBS and ABC. Despite persistent and creative efforts, the Guild has been thwarted for more than a year in its efforts to conclude those negotiations fairly and preserve jurisdiction and jobs. WGAEmpowered wants to stand firm in the face of these recalcitrant employers while looking at how our Guild can serve its newswriters better. For too long, newswriters and freelance writers have been in separate orbits. It's long past time to forge real understanding and respect between the two groups. It’s absolutely necessary to make those connections if the WGAE is to work at its best and strongest. Working with Other Unions back to main page Although our employers compete
fiercely for audience dollars when it comes time to confront workers,
they manage to find common ground.
That ability to put self interest aside isn't always a given when it comes unions. It remains difficult to get unions to coordinate contract expiration dates, find common contract demands, or even effectively work together in organizing campaigns. WGAEmpowered believes that until we forge effective bonds with other unions, every fight we wage will be more prolonged, more costly and less effective. Among our continued goals: Real cooperation with other unions -- above and below the line -- to achieve real strength in negotiations. Pension and Health back to main page In an age when employers are
shedding their obligations to provide pension and health coverage for
employees, the Writers Guilds are fighting a tough battle to maintain
solid benefits for members without letting that priority become a
liability in negotiations.
We all know how devastating a single serious illness can be, but when the companies tell us that they’ll trade off continued coverage against basic script rates, or against rates for new technology coverage, the fight becomes yet more complicated. As we approach the 2007 negotiations, we are concerned about correcting problems in the current benefits package. We’re not willing to whittle away at eligibility, to make coverage unavailable to the very people who most need it, and we won’t willingly allow the companies to pull back on contributions when the funds are flush, without an equal obligation to ramp up contributions when the programs are under funded. This is an uphill battle in this time when employers are shrugging off basic benefit obligation, but the entertainment industry is the country’s second most profitable business, and we’re going to hold the line. The industry is already buzzing
about the 2007 MBA negotiations. Pundits cite the election of new
leaderships at the WGAw and other unions as signs of a new militancy
sweeping the union movement.
It’s about time. When the folks who make the plastic cases for DVDs make more money off each unit than the writer does, something has gone wrong. We are anticipating a desperate, tough fight to make sure that our employers are accountable for the revenue created by the explosion of new technology. It won’t be easy, but we have learned our lesson with basic cable, VHS and DVDs. This negotiation requires clear thinking, clear action, and an informed, united WGAE. We invite you to be part of the future. Support the Guild, support WGAEmpowered, and support your future as a writer. |