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New York Extends COBRA Subsidy
The New York Legislature and the Governor have agreed to extend the COBRA Subsidy to March 31, 2011.
THERESA REBECK: “THREE GIRLS AND THEIR BROTHER”
Screenwriter Theresa Rebeck has published her first novel.
2008 PEABODY AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Writers Guild of America, East members are among the 35 recipients of this year's Peabody Awards. The list of winners includes: The Colbert Report, 30 Rock, and CBS News Sunday Morning: The Way Home.
BERNARDO RUIZ: “AMERICAN EXPERIENCE” ON ROBERTO CLEMENTE
Independent filmmaker Bernardo Ruiz's documentary Roberto Clemente will premier on PBS's American Experience on Monday, April 21, 2008.
WGAE Files Arbitrations Citing Strike Termination Agreement Violations
Cases charge ABC and Corday Productions with retaining replacement workers instead of allowing previously striking writers to return to their jobs.
The Strike Is Over
The writers have returned to work after the 100-day strike. If you have any questions regarding the contract, strike, your return to work, or other related issues, we’re here to help. Email:mbaissues@wgaeast.org or call the WGAE at 212-767-7800.
Become A Member
WGAE
January 01, 2007
First, we hope you've registered your material before submitting it anywhere. Script Registration protects the identity of your literary property and establishes the date by which you completed your material.
But we do understand that what you really want to know is how to join the community of film and television writers that is the Writers Guild.
The Basics
The Writers Guild East is a labor union.
Under Federal Law, labor unions represent employees.
The Guild agreement--the Minimum Basic Agreement--or MBA-- is the agreement that governs the employment of writers and the terms under which they work.
The employers--the production companies and studios, the TV networks and independent producers--who negotiate with the Guild every three years or so, and who sign the MBA, are signatories.
In order to join the WGAE, you must be employed by a signatory or the company interested in your work must agree to sign the MBA.
Remember, not only do you have something the production wants but also it is easier for production companies to raise money to produce a movie or license a TV movie to a network if the writer is a Guild member. And a further incentive for theatrical motion pictures is that there is a discount if the writer was never employed under any Writers Guild minimum basic agreement before. However, if the movie is produced, and the writer receives a writing credit, compensation must be adjusted to 100% of scale.
Who Do I Call?
Contact our Signatories Department to learn if the company you're dealing with is already a signatory to the Writers Guild MBA and what you'll need if the company isn't yet signatory.
Not all companies producing movies or television programs have signed the Guild agreement--but they must do so in order to employ Guild members, as it is a violation of Guild Working Rules for a member to sell or option literary material to a non-signatory. As a Guild member, you cannot work for a non-signatory.
If you haven't gotten that far yet, the WGAE can help you further your career in other ways.
