I have been a member for the Writers Guild of America — the union for screen and television writers — since longer than I care to remember, also served on the Board of Directors and something called the Contract Adjustment Committee (don’t ask!). The guild has a complicated and in many ways inspiring history. It has the justifiable reputation of being the most militant of the Hollywood unions, often having led the charge against the studios for the other crafts.
But that was in another country and, alas, “the wench is [almost] dead.” Like many organizations as they grow larger, it began to bureaucratize, become sclerotic (sound familiar?). The same faces showed up repeatedly, running the show long after their film and TV careers were over (which in some cases were not exactly illustrious in the first place). People got more invested in their union positions than in their work as writers, particularly strange since guild work is volunteer. Soon rules were being monkeyed with and the Department of Labor ended up stepping in to clean up the Writers Guild — a far cry from the old days, to be sure.
Something has to be done to cure this sick puppy, which so many of us love. A complete overhaul is needed. That’s why my wife Sheryl Longin (also a guild member) and I are backing Eric Hughes for Guild President in the coming election (to be supervised by the Dept. of Labor). I don’t know if I agree with Eric on everything. But I do know this — his heart is in the right place and if it weren’t for him and his campaign manager Ron Parker, the Writers Guild would be on the edge of turning into a low-rent version of the Teamsters. How sad and pathetic. What a desecration of a great history. Here’s Eric’s website: ERIC HUGHES- TRUTH FOR A CHANGE.
Already posted there are partial transcripts of the investigation into the recent Writers Guild election. More documents are to come. Even if you’re not a writer, you might find this struggle interesting. After all, we make up some of your dreams (and nightmares). We should be responsible to you – and to each other.
I think you will find that union politics become more corrupt as the education levels of the members RISE above the mean. Same is true below the mean. The entertainment unions insider fights at Directors, Actors, and Writers are legend. I think you’ll find most of the stuff started happening in the mid 40s when the Communist dominated craft union conglomerate (I forget the name) joined with Harry Bridges Longshoremen and riots complete with guns, brass knuckles, battery cables, and ball bats broke out all over LA. The studios signed with the then gangster IATSE, froze out the Communists and became partners with the Teamsters, putting a Teamster Goon named Touhey on the board at MGM (I think, or it may have been WB). Those fights still linger under a different cloak. Hidden agendas are very common among the very smart.
I’m not in the Guild, so I’m only privy to its insider politics from the outside. But how much of the conflict might come from the fact that the Guild’s members consider themselves writers, artists, yet conduct business as tradesmen, laborers, with collective bargaining for uniform wages and the surrender of intellectual property rights to their employers?
It’s possible that I have a higher opinion of the Teamsters than most, since no producer has ever even asked a Teamster to drive for free to convince a studio to like a location.
The higher level of corruption in an educated union pointed out by Howard may be a function of a kind of secular antinomianism. (look for that here: http://www.bartleby.com/61/39/A0343900.html) In the Writers Guild, for a lot of years, that’s played out as “If we’re doing it must be right,” rather than testing what’s right by what the membership wants and needs.
So we’ve lost compliance with the Minimum Basic Agreement on “free rewrites” and late payments, our process for determining credits is apparently deeply compromised, meaningful rank and file participation in Guild committees has been choked down, and fewer and fewer members participate in Guild elections, which suits the incumbents just fine.
But in any population there seems to be an irreducible number of people who just won’t let go of the way things ought to be and can be. Roger points out the kind of heart Eric Hughes has, and it’s true. But he’s also gots the guts and brains to enable him to get things done. He is a writer first and foremost, with a committment to what a strong labor union can do for individual writers, for the health of the industry itself, and finally for the culture in which fictions contribute to values.
I’m sure for him.
Art Eisenson
In answer to the poster above who wants to know what Mr. Simon’s “beef” with the union is, I’m assuming he doesn’t read the Los Angeles Times. They have had numerous articles. As I recall the Labor Dept. found election fraud in the writers union presidential election. A woman named Riskin (?) had falsified her credits in order to run for President and then won. There may have been cooperation from people inside the union. Lawyers? Someone else might remember. When she was forced to resign, this other character came in and it turned out he lied about his Special Forces background, but I don’t think the Labor Dept. was involved in that. Something of a circus. Mr. Simon has plenty of reason to complain.
A brief correction:
After an investigation by the Writers Guild it was determined that Vicki Riskin’s active status as a WGA member had lapsed during the period of the election. She was never accused of falsifying credits. When you become a Writers Guild (west) member, you have seven years of membership in which to find work before becoming an inactive member. If you find work, then your membership is renewed for four years.
You are correct that the Department of Labor was not involved in the Charles Holland matter. Charles Holland was the Vice President who automatically became President when Ms. Riskin resigned. There were accusations– most prominently in the LA Times– that he lied about his background and his time with Special Forces. He then resigned.
Roger, thanks for stepping up and noting the guts and courage of Eric Hughes and Ron Parker. I’m a sixteen year member of the WGAw, and I was working inside the WGAw a year ago when Eric and Ron started their incredibly difficult journey to right the wrongs that had been inflicted on what was once the greatest creative guild in Hollywood.
I was going to refer the readers of this post to a profile of Roger Simon, who hopefully will be only the first of many former Guild leaders to step up and support Eric. However, I can’t link to the story about Roger, because it was on the Writers Guild web site, and the profile was removed from http://www.wga.org shortly after Roger called for the resignation of Charles Holland.
To the brave journalists like Jim Bates, Michael Cieply and Dave McNary who have gone to bat for truth and justice, I salute you. To Charles Pfarrer, who withstood malicious attacks on his character to right the wrongs of union thugs, I honor you. And to the investigators at the Dept. of Labor who could have turned a blind eye to a corrupt election, I can only hope you will continue your vigilance.
Oops, humble apologies to the fine folks at http://www.wga.org. The link to Roger’s profile on the Guild web site looks like it can’t be spidered to off the front page after the site reconstruction. Here’s a link to the profile of Mr. Simon:
http://www.wga.org/craft/interviews/rogersimon.htm1.
Full disclosure: It’s a profile written by moi.
one more time:http://www.wga.org/craft/interviews/rogersimon.html
Roger: look what plopped into my inbox today. (I’m a screenwriter.)
Leon Freeman -lfreemanl@movie-producer.net
To: “Bleeding heart conservative”
Subject: Filmmakers United Against Bush
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004
JULY — FILMMAKERS UNITED
THE NOVEMBER PROJECT
If you’ve seen Fahrenheit 9/11 you’re probably as upset about the state of America as I am. The saddest part is that there are tens of thousands of filmmakers with broadcast quality digital video cameras yet none of them are using those cameras to document the opinions of real americans. None of them are giving Americans alternatives to the very pro-Bush media.
It is time for filmmakers to use their talents to give consumers options rather than continuing to focus exclusively on trying to get a 3 picture deal. If filmmakers in every city created compilation DVDs of short films, news footage and documentaries about the state of America and self-distributed them on DVD they could revolutionize the world of film production and distribution. Every American, in fact nearly everyone in the industrialized world, is focused on the upcoming November election. Michael Moore’s movie is making millions upon millions of dollars. That means there is a huge market opportunity for any film related to the November election that can be released on DVD before November.
I am making it my mission to help filmmakers create films and self-distribute them in order to give Americans the chance to see more information about what’s really happening in America and the world at large. I’m calling my mission the November Project. More information will be available by the end of this week at http://www.movieproducer.net.
Leon Freeman
I am an “x-SAG” member, “x’ mainly because of disgust in seeing how the “system’ operates. Status Quo is to collect members’ often hard-earned money to accomplish nothing. I also write, and have great empathy for all Screenwriters, as you, too suffer from a system which often rewards those who pen for money alone, not passion. I support Mr. Simons’ goals, and wish him Godspeed. It is also amazing to me how many creative people can raise cain about ‘”the republicans” and still support corruption in their own garden. An example is Mr. Freemans’ dissertation listed above. Go to his website, and you will see that all this man is interested in is collecting money from struggling artists who wish to do nothing more than practice their art. The true definition of dicipline is what one does when NOBODY is looking. Cleaning up ALL union systems starts at home, and I encourage all to start there. Hope is weak, BELIEF IS POWER. DO NOT LOSE THE FAITH-BELIEVE!!-Wolfgang Faust
I am an “x-SAG” member, “x’ mainly because of disgust in seeing how the “system’ operates. Status Quo is to collect members’ often hard-earned money to accomplish nothing. I also write, and have great empathy for all Screenwriters, as you, too suffer from a system which often rewards those who pen for money alone, not passion. I support Mr. Simons’ goals, and wish him Godspeed. It is also amazing to me how many creative people can raise cain about ‘”the republicans” and still support corruption in their own garden. An example is Mr. Freemans’ dissertation listed above. Go to his website, and you will see that all this man is interested in is collecting money from struggling artists who wish to do nothing more than practice their art. The true definition of dicipline is what one does when NOBODY is looking. Cleaning up ALL union systems starts at home, and I encourage all to start there. Hope is weak, BELIEF IS POWER. DO NOT LOSE THE FAITH-BELIEVE!!-
-Wolfgang Faust