WRITERS RALLYING IN FIGHT FOR BENEFITS WGA SHOWS AGGRESSIVE STANCE ON RESIDUALS.Byline: GREG HERNANDEZ Staff Writer With more than 500 supporters cheering, Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is a term often referring to the joint efforts of the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, west. Jointly, the two guilds act as the collective bargaining representative, or labor union, for writers in the motion picture and , west, President Patric Verrone Patric Verrone (born Patric Miller Verrone on September 29, 1959 in Glendale, Queens, New York) is an American television writer. He served as a writer and producer for several animated television shows, most notably Futurama. threw down the gauntlet to the major media companies Wednesday morning. ``Every piece of media with a moving image on a screen or a recordable voice must have a writer and every writer must have a WGA WGA Windows Genuine Advantage (Microsoft) WGA Writers Guild of America (union for screenwriters) WGA Wise Giving Alliance (Better Business Bureau) WGA wheat germ agglutinin contract,'' Verrone said at a spirited rally held at Pan Pacific Park in the Fairfax District. The WGA's current minimum basic agreement contract expires at the end of next year and the guild's new aggressive leadership believes the most important bargaining session of their time lies ahead. WGA members from prime-time scripted shows, reality shows, daytime soaps, game shows, animated programs and movies converged for more than two hours chanting slogans, waving signs and all wearing matching red T-shirts. They were joined by members of sister unions Screen Actors Guild, Director's Guild of America, and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) is a performers' union that represents a wide variety of talent, including actors in radio and television, as well as radio and television announcers and newspersons, singers and recording artists (both royalty , among others. ``We intend to send a message of unity to the community,'' Verrone said before the group marched down Beverly Boulevard Beverly Boulevard is one of the main east-west thoroughfares in Los Angeles. It begins off of Santa Monica Boulevard in the Beverly Hills and West Hollywood border and ends on Lucas Avenue near Downtown Los Angeles. and Fairfax Street around CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. studios. Phil Alden Robinson (``Field of Dreams'') said the WGA is ``at one of the watershed moments of our history,'' which he compared to the advent of television in the 1950s and home video in the '80s. He said a lack of guild unity resulted in about $2 billion in lost home video residuals. Robinson said revenue from such newer technologies as video-on-demand and digital downloading distribution platforms are critical things to fight for just as past generations fought for TV residuals, a pension, and health benefits. ``We can stand united and win or we can be divided and lose,'' Robinson told the crowd. ``What the companies want to give us is a poor deal that only covers some writers. What we want is a good deal that covers all writers.'' The WGA has good reason for being proactive. An increase in DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. residuals had been the stated priority in their previous contract negotiations now that DVD revenue surpasses box office receipts for most films. But The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers held firm that the status quo [Latin, The existing state of things at any given date.] Status quo ante bellum means the state of things before the war. The status quo to be preserved by a preliminary injunction is the last actual, peaceable, uncontested status which preceded the pending controversy. needed to be maintained because box office revenue no longer recoups the production, distribution and marketing costs connected to a film. With DVD still a priority, residuals for the newer technologies not covered not covered Health care adjective Referring to a procedure, test or other health service to which a policy holder or insurance beneficiary is not entitled under the terms of the policy or payment system–eg, Medicare. Cf Covered. in the contract are now on the front burner, as well as establishing union coverage for such forms of entertainment as mobisodes (mobile phones) and webisodes (Internet). ``Desperate Housewives'' creator and head writer Marc Cherry, who brought his entire writing staff to the rally, said that due to the ``ebb and flow'' of the entertainment industry, residuals and benefits are of vital importance to writers. After Cherry ended a three-and-a-half year stint as a writer on ``The Golden Girls'' in 1993, he hit a dry patch until ``Housewives'' got the greenlight in 2004. ``When I was really unemployed, the things that really kept me going were residuals and health benefits,'' Cherry said. ``This is a rough town.'' More immediately pressing than upcoming contract talks is the current demand by a dozen ``America's Next Top Model'' writer-producers. They want their executive producer to agree to their demand to be represented by the WGA, west, in a collective bargaining collective bargaining, in labor relations, procedure whereby an employer or employers agree to discuss the conditions of work by bargaining with representatives of the employees, usually a labor union. negotiation. Kai Bowe said she and the other ``Model'' writer-producers want and deserve such basic things as health insurance. ``I'm not going to lie, it is scary -- even standing up here, I feel like I have a bulls-eye on my head,'' she said. Verrone paid special tribute to the striking ``Model'' writers who were seated in the front row at the rally. ``For the past nine weeks, these 12 people have had the courage to do something members haven't had to do in almost 20 years for benefits most of us take for granted.'' The rally occurred on the day the two-hour season premiere of ``America's Next Top Model'' on the new CW network which is a merger of the old WB and UPN UPN User Principal Name (Microsoft Windows 2000) UPN United Paramount Network UPN Unión del Pueblo Navarro (Navarrese People Union) UPN Umgekehrte Polnische Notation networks. A CW spokesman said Wednesday that the network had no comment on the rally or the strike. greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com (818)713-3758 |
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