Observer » WGA East

W.G.A. Membership to Vote Tomorrow on Lifting Strike

Joe Pompeo — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:21:40 -0400

Yesterday, W.G.A. leaders voted unanimously to approve a deal that would bring to an end the Hollywood writers' three-month-old conflict over new media residuals. What’s left now is tomorrow’s vote by W.G.A. members on whether to end the strike, pending a contract ratification vote by the joint-membership of the east and west guilds, which will take place via mail ballot over the next few weeks. In New York, ballots on lifting the strike will be cast between 4 and 7 p.m. tomorrow at the Crown Plaza Hotel on Broadway and 49th Street. The results will be announced later that night. After the jump, W.G.A. East President Michael Winship’s letter to membership:

Dear Fellow Members of the Writers Guild of America, East:

I am very pleased to inform you that earlier today the Negotiating Committee of the Guilds East and West unanimously and unconditionally recommended the terms of our proposed 2008 MBA to the Guild East Council and the Guild West Board.

The Council and Board then voted unanimously to recommend the contract, and to submit it to the joint membership of the two guilds for ratification. The ratification vote will take place over the next couple of weeks by mail ballot and at a special membership meeting. You will receive ballot materials and information via mail sometime later this week.

There is, however, another issue to address first: whether to lift the restraining order, and thus end the strike while we await the results of the contract ratification vote. The council and board heard your voices at Saturday’s membership meetings and are asking you to decide.

A vote on whether or not to lift the strike will take place this Tuesday, February 12, 2008. A yes vote means you are voting to end the strike immediately; a no vote means you are voting to continue the strike during the ratification process.

Ballots can be cast from 4 to 7 pm on Tuesday in the Broadway Ballroom on the 4th floor of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1605 Broadway at 49th Street. For members with questions, the East members of the negotiating committee will conduct an informational meeting and Q&A from 4 to 5 pm. However, members can show up anytime between 4 and 7, cast their votes and leave.

If you are not able to cast a ballot in person, proxy ballots can be downloaded at our website, www.wgaeast.org, and faxed in. Instructions on how to do this also are posted on our website.

Remember: until the votes are counted, we are still on strike, although picket lines are suspended. We will announce the vote count later Tuesday night.

Your solidarity and support have been an inspiration. On behalf of your leadership, I send you our profound thanks and gratitude. We will build on this energy, unity and creativity to make our union stronger than ever.

Onward,
Michael Winship
President
Writers Guild of America, East

Writers Guild To Picket Comedy Central's Daily Show and Colbert Report

Felix Gillette — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 00:28:50 -0400

Tonight, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report are set to return to Comedy Central, albeit without their writers, who remain out on strike.

And without certain guests, such as Katrina vanden Heuvel and Naomi Klein who recently turned down invitations to appear on the show.

Those authors, actors, and politicians who do accept invitations to be on the shows on Monday will be forced to cross a picket line.

Over the weekend, the Writers Guild of America East reiterated that it will be organizing picket lines on Monday outside of the Daily Show Studios at the corner of 51th St. and 11th Avenue, (from 4:00pm to 6:00 pm) and outside the Colbert Report studios at 513 West 54th St. (from 5:00pm to 7:00 pm).

"These pickets will be against the media conglomerates – NBC and Viacom - and not the specific hosts who we understand were forced to return to the air without their writers who remain on the picket lines," a WGA East spokesperson noted in an advisory over the weekend.

In ‘Painful Decision,’ WGA East President Rallies Troops to Picket Leno, Kimmel, O’Brien

Felix Gillette — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 20:31:33 -0400

Today, in a letter to members, Writers Guild of America East President Michael Winship wished everyone a happy new year, admitted that he was recently "momentarily overcome with frustration and annoyance," and professed to be sustained by "the nationwide unity and the surety that what we are striking for is right not only for us but so many others in the creative community."

The coming week is a huge one for the striking writers.

This past Friday, the WGA reached a binding agreement with Woldwide Pants which will allow The Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson to return to the air tomorrow night with their full writing staffs.

But tomorrow night also marks the return of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien--albeit without the shows' writers, who continue to strike.

"Leno, O'Brien and Kimmel are all members of the Guild and have been and continue to be extremely supportive of our strike and their writing staff," wrote Mr. Winship. "For that we truly are grateful."

"Nonetheless, they are coming back without writers and without a new Guild contract, forced back on the air by companies that refuse to sit at the table and bargain with us," he added. "We cannot let that pass. It’s a difficult and painful decision, but the Guilds East and West have determined that we will picket outside the studios of these programs, beginning January 2."

ABC News and Writers' Guild Reach Agreement

Felix Gillette — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:05:13 -0400

Yesterday, ABC News announced that it had reached a tentative contract agreement with the Writers Guild of America East, which represents roughly 250 ABC News employees. The previous contract had expired in January of 2005. The new agreement, which will go before union members for a vote on December 13, would institute a 3.5-percent wage increase.

"In addition to the annual wage increase, the new agreement, which expires Feb. 1, 2010, includes a one-time signing bonus of $3,700 for full-time employees," reports Crain's. "Part-time workers will get a pro-rated bonus."

Reached by phone on Friday morning, Mona Mangan, executive director of the Writers Guild of America East, told Media Mob that the issue had been "festering" at ABC for a long time.

One of the sticking points, she said, was that ABC management had previouisly demanded that a number of producers at ABC Channel 7 be taken out of the writers guild. According to Ms. Mangan, the WGA had filed a complaint on the subject with the National Labor Relations Board. She said the board was prepared to rule in the WGA's favor. Recently, ABC had dropped the demand--which was one of the factors leading to the new agreement.

"The board was prepared to rule in our favor," said Ms. Mangan. "I think that may be catalytic. But I think there might have been other reasons in terms of ABC management wanting a more harmonious workplace."

Does she think that the agreement with ABC News will put added pressure on CBS News to make a more generous offer to its guild members?

"I think it's difficult for them to justify their position when their competition has reached an agreement with the writers guild," said Ms. Mangan. "CBS is offering less than a 2 percent [wage] increase a year for the duration of the contract. That's an outrageous proposal."