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{{short description|Labor union formed in 1954}}

factoids

RPTFORM=LM2FORM, June 27, 2019, }}The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) is a labor union representing film, television, radio, and new media writers. It was formed in 1954 from five organizations representing writers, including the Screen Writers Guild.WEB,www.wga.org/uploadedFiles/who_we_are/fyi09.pdf, Writers Guild of America West, wga.org, May 5, 2016,www.wga.org/uploadedFiles/who_we_are/fyi09.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20100612232856www.wga.org/uploadedFiles/who_we_are/fyi09.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20100612232856www.wga.org/uploadedFiles/who_we_are/fyi09.pdf, June 12, 2010, live, It has around 20,000 members.OLMS, 000-078, 557842, LM2Form, June 27, 2014, WEB,www.wga.org/content/subpage_whoweare.aspx?id=230, WGAW Annual Report to Writers, 2009-09-23, 2009-07-18,www.wga.org/content/subpage_whoweare.aspx?id=230," title="web.archive.org/web/20090718234759www.wga.org/content/subpage_whoweare.aspx?id=230,">web.archive.org/web/20090718234759www.wga.org/content/subpage_whoweare.aspx?id=230, dead, The WGAW and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), though independent entities, jointly brand themselves together as the Writers Guild of America (WGA), and cooperate on activities such as launching coordinated strike actions and administering the Writers Guild of America Awards. The WGAE is an affiliate of both the AFL–CIO and the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds.

Governance

The WGAW is governed by its membership. Elections for a board of directors are held annually by secret mail-in ballot. Half of the board is elected each year to a two-year term of office, and a board member may not serve more than four consecutive terms. In 2022 the officers are:WEB, Officers and Board of Directors,www.wga.org/the-guild/about-us/officers-board-members, November 26, 2022, Writers Guild of America West, November 26, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20221126213752/https://www.wga.org/the-guild/about-us/officers-board-members, live,

• President: Meredith Stiehm
• Vice President: Michele Mulroney
• Secretary-Treasurer: Betsy Thomas
• Board of Directors: Liz Hsiao Lan Alper, Raphael Bob-Waksberg, Angelina Burnett, Robb Chavis, Adam Conover, Marjorie David, Travis Donnelly, Ashley Gable, Justin Halpern, Dante W. Harper, Eric Haywood, Deric A. Hughes, Zoe Marshall, Dailyn Rodriguez, John Rogers, and Nicole Yorkin.

David Young is employed as the Guild’s executive director and Tony Segall is general counsel. Young served as the Guild’s chief negotiator during the 2007 contract negotiations and subsequent 100-day strike. On November 3, 2023 the guild announced that Young will be stepping down from his role and will be replaced with Ellen Stutzman.WEB, David Young, Longtime WGA West Leader, to Step Down,variety.com/2023/biz/news/david-young-wga-west-step-down-1235779933/, November 3, 2023, Variety (magazine), Variety, November 4, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20231104014650/https://variety.com/2023/biz/news/david-young-wga-west-step-down-1235779933/, live, According to WGAW’s Department of Labor records since 2006, over half of the guild’s total membership is ineligible to vote, comprising the guild’s “post current”, “emeritus”, and “associate” members.OLMS, 000-078,

Past presidents

Since the formation of the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) in 1954 there have been 33 presidents. WEB,www.wga.org/the-guild/about-us/history/presidents, Presidents, 2023-04-30, 2023-01-28,web.archive.org/web/20230128222134/https://www.wga.org/the-guild/about-us/history/presidents, live, The first President was screenwriter Richard L. Breen, followed by: Edmund L. Hartmann, Curtis Kenyon, Ken Englund, Charles Schnee, James R. Webb, Nate Monaster, Christopher Knopf, Michael Blankfort, Melville Shavelson, Ranald MacDougall, John Furia Jr., David W. Rintels, Daniel Taradash, Frank Pierson, Ernest Lehman, George Kirgo, Del Reisman, Brad Radnitz, Daniel Petrie Jr., John Wells, Victoria Riskin, Charles D. Holland, Patric M. Verrone, Christopher Keyser, Howard A. Rodman and David A. Goodman.The current president is screenwriter and producer Meredith Stiehm.

History

The Screen Writers Guild (SWG) was formed in 1921 by a group of ten screenwriters in Hollywood angered over wage reductions announced by the major film studios.WEB, Screen Writers’ Guild History,www.wgfoundation.org/screenwritersguild-history, Writers Guild Foundation, 3 May 2023, The group affiliated with the Authors Guild in 1933 and began representing TV writers in 1948. In 1954, the SWG was one of five groups who merged to represent professional writers on both coasts and became the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAe) and West (WGAW). Howard J. Green and John Howard Lawson were the first two presidents during the SWG era.WEB,www.wga.org/history/timeline.html, WGAW website historical timeline, 18 September 2017, 5 November 2007,www.wga.org/history/timeline.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20071105194522www.wga.org/history/timeline.html,">web.archive.org/web/20071105194522www.wga.org/history/timeline.html, live, Daniel Taradash was president of the WGAW from 1977 to 1979.In 1952, the Guild authorized movie studios to delete onscreen credits for any writers who had not been cleared by Congress, as part of the industry’s blacklisting of writers with alleged communist or leftist leanings or affiliations.From March to August 1988, WGAW members were on strike against the major American television networks in a dispute over residuals from repeat airings and foreign/home video use of scripted shows and made-for-TV movies. The 22-week strike crippled American broadcast television and drove millions of viewers, disgusted with the lack of new scripted programming, to cable channels and home video, a blow to ratings and revenues from which, some industry watchers argue, the networks have never fully recovered.WEB, Spitzer, Gabriel, 2001-01-15, Ouch! Remembering the 1988 writers’ strike,www.medialifemagazine.com/news2001/jan01/jan15/3_wed/news3wednesday.html, dead,www.medialifemagazine.com/news2001/jan01/jan15/3_wed/news3wednesday.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20081006215846www.medialifemagazine.com/news2001/jan01/jan15/3_wed/news3wednesday.html,">web.archive.org/web/20081006215846www.medialifemagazine.com/news2001/jan01/jan15/3_wed/news3wednesday.html, 2008-10-06, 2007-11-02, Media Life Magazine, In 2004, Victoria Riskin resigned as WGAW President after being accused by her opponent Eric Hughes during the 2003 election of using a sham writing contract to maintain her membership status.WEB, Bates, James, 2004-01-07, Writers Guild Chief Resigns Under Pressure,articles.latimes.com/2004/jan/07/business/fi-guild7, live,articles.latimes.com/2004/jan/07/business/fi-guild7," title="web.archive.org/web/20170619175107articles.latimes.com/2004/jan/07/business/fi-guild7,">web.archive.org/web/20170619175107articles.latimes.com/2004/jan/07/business/fi-guild7, 2017-06-19, 2017-09-18, Los Angeles Times, She was replaced by vice-president Charles Holland, who resigned a few weeks later when questions arose about statements he had made about his college football career and his claim of having secretly served in combat as a Green Beret, a claim his army records did not support.WEB, The last bastion: infiltrating the ranks of executives and creatives is the current challenge for African-Americans in the entertainment industry. (NAACP Image Awards) (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), After Riskin’s resignation, the U.S. Department of Labor investigated the sham contract and concluded that Riskin was indeed ineligible to run.WEB,www.wga.org/page-not-found, Writers Guild of America West, 18 September 2017, 16 June 2017,www.wga.org/page-not-found," title="web.archive.org/web/20170616195350www.wga.org/page-not-found,">web.archive.org/web/20170616195350www.wga.org/page-not-found, live, The WGAW entered into a settlement by offering to re-run the election under DOL supervision. A new election was held in September 2004 between Eric Hughes and Daniel Petrie, Jr. which Petrie won.On April 17, 2019, WGA West and WGA East filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against the four dominant Hollywood talent agencies, William Morris Agency, Creative Artists Agency, United Talent Agency and ICM Partners, citing movie packaging fee practices, which the WGA asserts are a violation of state and federal laws.WEB, Littleton, Cynthia, Donnelly, Matt, 2019-04-17, WGA Sues Talent Agencies in Battle Against Packaging Fees,variety.com/2019/biz/news/wga-sues-talent-agencies-1203191199/, live,web.archive.org/web/20211029142950/https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/wga-sues-talent-agencies-1203191199/, 2021-10-29, 2019-06-29, Variety, en-US, Approximately 95 percent of Guild members voted “in favor of a code of conduct that would cease packaging fees.“WEB, Donnelly, Matt, 2019-04-22, Writers Guild Says Over 7,000 Members Have Fired Agents,variety.com/2019/film/news/writers-guild-7000-members-fired-agents-1203194928/, live,web.archive.org/web/20190504213735/https://variety.com/2019/film/news/writers-guild-7000-members-fired-agents-1203194928/, 2019-05-04, 2019-06-29, Variety, en-US, During the week following its lawsuit filing; en masse, over 7,000 Guild members fired their talent agents, as “not just drastically out-earning them, but preventing them from receiving better pay.” WGA president David A. Goodman was then quoted as stating to NPR “that in a period of unprecedented profits and growth of our business ... writers themselves are actually earning less”.NEWS, ‘Uncharted Waters’: Union Tells Hollywood Writers To Fire Their Agents,www.npr.org/2019/04/13/713030206/uncharted-waters-union-tells-hollywood-writers-to-fire-their-agents, Ingber, Sasha, NPR.org, National Public Radio, 2019-04-13, 2019-06-29, 2019-06-29,web.archive.org/web/20190629233128/https://www.npr.org/2019/04/13/713030206/uncharted-waters-union-tells-hollywood-writers-to-fire-their-agents, live,

Reality United

In June 2005, WGAW started a “reality rights” campaign to allow writers of reality television shows to qualify for guild rights and benefits.NEWS, Holland, Lila, 2005-07-08, The writers of reality TV sue for rights, TV.com,www.tv.com/story/story.html%26story_id%3D424, dead, 2006-10-12,www.tv.com/story/story.html%26story_id%3D424," title="web.archive.org/web/20050829182940www.tv.com/story/story.html%26story_id%3D424,">web.archive.org/web/20050829182940www.tv.com/story/story.html%26story_id%3D424, 2005-08-29, The union maintained that the storytellers who conceive the tests and confrontations on such shows were bona fide writers.NEWS, A “Reality Slap” in the Face,www.realityunited.com/why_we_re_here/our_reality/a_reality_slap_in_the_face, N, T (pseudoanonymous), WGAW, 2005-07-08, 2007-11-05, 2006-08-10,www.realityunited.com/why_we_re_here/our_reality/a_reality_slap_in_the_face," title="web.archive.org/web/20060810173749www.realityunited.com/why_we_re_here/our_reality/a_reality_slap_in_the_face,">web.archive.org/web/20060810173749www.realityunited.com/why_we_re_here/our_reality/a_reality_slap_in_the_face, dead, The Guild also expressed concern the 1988 strike showed that lack of representation in the genre would weaken their future bargaining position.WEB, Lowry, Brian, 2007-10-30, WGA baits but switches on reality,variety.com/2007/voices/columns/wga-baits-but-switches-on-reality-1117975011/, live,www.variety.com/article/VR1117975011.html?categoryid=1682&cs=1," title="web.archive.org/web/20071101050246www.variety.com/article/VR1117975011.html?categoryid=1682&cs=1,">web.archive.org/web/20071101050246www.variety.com/article/VR1117975011.html?categoryid=1682&cs=1, 2007-11-01, 2023-11-06, Variety, en-US, Studio executives maintained that these employees were primarily editors, not writers, and that the shows needed to appear to be unscripted in order for viewers to feel they were “real.“NEWS, Reality is Only an Illusion, Writers Say,www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2004/08/10/reality-is-only-an-illusion-writers-say/1beeafab-a1a2-4956-bbc8-7eee221f88d3/, William, Booth, Washington Post, 2004-08-10, 2023-05-24, 2005-09-20,www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53032-2004Aug9.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20050920001557www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53032-2004Aug9.html,">web.archive.org/web/20050920001557www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53032-2004Aug9.html, live, As part of this campaign, on September 20, 2006, the WGAW held a Los Angeles unity rally in support of the America’s Next Top Model writers’ strike. President Patric Verrone said, “Every piece of media with a moving image on a screen or a recorded voice must have a writer, and every writer must have a WGA contract.“MAGAZINE, WGA’s Verrone: “Every Writer Must Have a WGA Contract”,www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6373941.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP&nid=2228, Ben, Grossman, Broadcasting & Cable, 2006-09-20, 2006-09-24, 2007-03-14,www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6373941.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP&nid=2228," title="web.archive.org/web/20070314154112www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6373941.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP&nid=2228,">web.archive.org/web/20070314154112www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6373941.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP&nid=2228, live, On November 6, 2006, the WGAW filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board after Top Model producers said the show’s next season would be produced using a new system that would not require writers. In response, Verrone said, “as they demanded union representation, the company decided they were expendable. This is illegal strikebreaking.“MAGAZINE, Top Model Takes Strikers Off Payroll,www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6389164.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP&nid=2228, Jim, Benson, Broadcasting & Cable, 2006-11-07, 2006-11-09, 2007-03-14,www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6389164.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP&nid=2228," title="web.archive.org/web/20070314103858www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6389164.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP&nid=2228,">web.archive.org/web/20070314103858www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6389164.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP&nid=2228, live,

Work stoppages

2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike

On November 2, 2007, the Guild again went on strike, this time over writers’ share of revenues from DVD releases and from Internet, cellphone shows, and other new media uses of programs and films written by members. The strike vote followed the expiration of the guild’s contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.NEWS, Writers Guild calls strike; walkout may start Monday,www.marketwatch.com/news/story/writers-guild-calls-strike-walkout/story.aspx?guid=%7B0A457691-C83B-4115-92BC-D1D66507EA7F%7D, Russ, Britt, CBS MarketWatch.com, 2007-11-02, 2007-11-02, 2007-11-03,www.marketwatch.com/news/story/writers-guild-calls-strike-walkout/story.aspx?guid=%7B0A457691%2DC83B%2D4115%2D92BC%2DD1D66507EA7F%7D," title="web.archive.org/web/20071103035158www.marketwatch.com/news/story/writers-guild-calls-strike-walkout/story.aspx?guid=%7B0A457691%2DC83B%2D4115%2D92BC%2DD1D66507EA7F%7D,">web.archive.org/web/20071103035158www.marketwatch.com/news/story/writers-guild-calls-strike-walkout/story.aspx?guid=%7B0A457691%2DC83B%2D4115%2D92BC%2DD1D66507EA7F%7D, live,

2023 Writers Guild of America strike

Since March 2023, the Writers Guild of America had been in contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The current contract ended at 11:59 PM PDT on May 1, 2023.NEWS, Koblin, John, Barnes, Brooks, 2023-04-17, Hollywood Writers Approve of Strike as Shutdown Looms, en-US, The New York Times,www.nytimes.com/2023/04/17/business/media/hollywood-writers-strike-vote.html, live, 2023-04-29,web.archive.org/web/20230429122319/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/17/business/media/hollywood-writers-strike-vote.html, 2023-04-29, 0362-4331, Since an acceptable new contract was not negotiated, WGA members officially voted for a strike commencing on May 2, 2023.WEB,www.vulture.com/2023/04/wga-strike-2023.html, The 2023 WGA Strike for Dummies, May 2023, 2023-04-29, 2023-04-19,web.archive.org/web/20230419142001/https://www.vulture.com/2023/04/wga-strike-2023.html, live, The vote by WGA members was: 9,020 (97.85%) in favor and 198 (2.15%) opposed. Total ballots cast was 9,218 (78.79% of eligible WGA members). The vote set a new record for both turnout and the percentage of support in a strike authorization vote.WEB,www.wgacontract2023.org/updates/strike-authorization-vote-results, Strike Authorization Passes with 97.85% YES, 2023-04-30, 2023-04-29,web.archive.org/web/20230429151234/https://www.wgacontract2023.org/updates/strike-authorization-vote-results, live, On April 22, 2023, the SAG-AFTRA National Board voted unanimously to pass a resolution in support of WGA negotiations with the AMPTP.WEB,www.sagaftra.org/sag-aftra-statement-support-wga-negotiations, Archived copy, 2023-05-01, 2023-04-30,web.archive.org/web/20230430170226/https://www.sagaftra.org/sag-aftra-statement-support-wga-negotiations, live, In preparation, the WGA published its strike rules. The WGA Negotiating Committee is led by Ellen Stutzman (Chief Negotiator), David A. Goodman (Co-Chair) and Chris Keyser (Co-Chair).On May 1, 2023, negotiations between WGA and AMPTP concluded without a deal.WEB,www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/no-writers-guild-deal-today-amptp-claims-1235404087/, No Writers Guild Deal Today, AMPTP Claims, Katie, Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, May 1, 2023, May 1, 2023, May 2, 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230502030741/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/no-writers-guild-deal-today-amptp-claims-1235404087/, live, Hollywood trade publication Deadline reported that as of May 2, 2023 at 12:01 am PDT the Writers Guild of America was on strike.WEB, Patten, Dominic. David, Robb. Peter, White, Hollywood Hit With Writers Strike After Talks With AMPTP Fail; Guild Slams Studios For “Gig Economy” Mentality,deadline.com/2023/05/writers-guild-strike-begins-1235340176/, Deadline Hollywood, Penske Media Corporation, 2 May 2023, 1 May 2023, 2 May 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230502053803/https://deadline.com/2023/05/writers-guild-strike-begins-1235340176/, live, On September 23, 2023, news outlets reported that the WGA and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers were close to a final resolution and expected a resolution to be had by the end of the weekend.WEB, Darcy, Oliver, 2023-09-23, WGA strike: Writers Guild and Hollywood studios in ‘final phase’ of negotiations {{!, CNN Business |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/23/business/wga-strike-negotiations-final-phase/index.html |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=CNN |language=en}} On September 24, 2023, it was announced that the writers and the studios reached a tentative agreement.WEB, Kilkenny, Katie, September 24, 2023, Writers Guild Reaches Tentative Agreement With Studios and Streamers, Union Tells Strike Captains,www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/writers-guild-deal-reached-studios-end-of-strike-1235403981/, September 24, 2023, The Hollywood Reporter, WEB, Robb, David, September 24, 2023, It’s A Deal! WGA & AMPTP Reach Tentative Agreement To End Writers Strike,deadline.com/2023/09/writers-strike-deal-wga-studios-1235551531/, September 24, 2023, Deadline,

Magazine

Written By, the WGAW’s official journal since 1997, is published six times a year.WEB, Written By,www.writtenby.com/, writtenby.com, Writers Guild of America West, 3 May 2023,

Writers Guild Theater

Writers Guild Theater, on South Doheny Drive, in Beverly Hills, is a 473-seat theater, with 2,000 square feet of “flexible space”.WEB, about,www.writersguildtheater.com/about, Writers Guild Theater, 29 September 2022, 29 September 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220929023149/https://www.writersguildtheater.com/about, live, WEB, Frequently Asked Questions,www.writersguildtheater.com/faq, Writers Guild Theater, 29 September 2022, 29 September 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220929014645/https://www.writersguildtheater.com/faq, live,

Writers Guild Foundation

In 1966, the Writers Guild Foundation was founded by Writers Guild members to raise money for writers to attend the International Writers Guild conference in Los Angeles.WEB, Our History,www.wgfoundation.org/our-history, The Writers Guild Foundation, 3 May 2023, The Writers Guild Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization that is affiliated with, but independent of, the WGAW.WEB, Frequently Asked Questions,www.wgfoundation.org/about/faq, The Writers Guild Foundation, 3 May 2023,

See also

• Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE)
• International Affiliation of Writers Guilds (IAWG)
• Writers Guild of America Award
• 1960 Writers Guild of America strike
• 1981 Writers Guild of America strike
• 1988 Writers Guild of America strike
• 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike
  • Effect of the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike on television
• 2023 Writers Guild of America strike
• WGA screenwriting credit system
• WGA script registration service

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

External links

• {{official websitewww.wga.org/}}
• WGAW Registry
• List of the 101 Greatest Screenplays
• 101 Best Written TV Series List
• Writer Action, a BBS for guild members
• Screen Rights
• WEB, Writers Guild of America West, Oral History,www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1cpvBEDotV7pSBwLB55MhqSmZ5O831Bc, YouTube playlist, 3 May 2023,
• Writers Guild Foundation

{{2023 Hollywood labor disputes}}{{Authority control}}