MEMBER VOTE ON PROPOSED SCREEN CREDITS MANUAL

Screen Credits Manual, Section II.D.4.b (third paragraph)
Proposed change – redline:

As the written statement is the participating writer’s only opportunity to communicate the writer’s position to the arbiters, it is advised that the writer take due care in its preparation. Because of the limitation of 21 business days for the arbitration, this statement must be delivered to the Guild within 72 (seventy-two) hours from notification by the Guild that all of the literary and source material for the arbitration has been submitted.  The deadline for submission of statements will be strictly applied and NO extensions will be granted. A participant’s failure to submit a statement in a timely fashion shall Reasonable requests for extensions will be granted, but will not preclude the Guild from proceeding with an arbitration with the statements then available to the Guild. If a participating writer submits a statement after the materials have been submitted to the Arbitration Committee, Credits staff will forward such statement to the Arbitration Committee, provided such statement is received prior to a decision of the Arbitration Committee.

NOTICE OF VOTE ON PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO SCREEN CREDITS MANUAL

Beginning at 1:00 p.m. EDT on Monday, October 8, 2018, WGAE and WGAW Current members in good standing* may vote online on the proposed amendments to the Screen Credits Manual. Members will receive an email which will include a link to the online voting website. Your Username is your last name and your password is your 5-digit WGAE ID number or 8-digit WGAW ID number. The deadline for voting on the proposed amendments to the Screen Credits Manual is 12:00 p.m. PDT on Monday, October 22, 2018.<

*Good standing for voter eligibility purposes is defined as having dues paid through October 2, 2018. Newswriters are not eligible to vote in this election

NOTICE OF PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO SCREEN CREDITS MANUAL

August 23, 2018

To Our Fellow Members:

One of the Guilds’ core functions is to determine writing credits on Guild-covered projects. To carry out that function, the WGA East and West have long maintained written rules governing the determination of writing credits. These rules are contained in the Screen and Television Credits Manuals.

Because the industry in which we work is constantly evolving, the credits rules must periodically be updated. The way this happens is through amendments to the Credits Manuals. All such amendments must first be approved by the WGAE Council and WGAW Board of Directors, and then by a majority vote of the combined memberships of the two Guilds.

The WGAE Council and WGAW Board have appointed Credits Review Committees for screen and television. These standing committees are charged with reviewing existing credits rules and making recommendations for changes. The package of revisions we are now bringing to the membership for approval is the work of the Screen Credits Review Committee, which has committed significant time and effort to draft a set of amendments intended to simplify and modernize the Screen Credits Manual.

The purpose of this email is to announce a referendum vote on proposed changes to the Screen Credits Manual and to give members information about the amendments and the referendum process. The referendum will be conducted by online voting in October. By clicking on the links below, you will find the following:

• A statement by the Screen Credits Review Committee describing the proposed amendments.
• A summary of the proposed amendments.
• The redline and clean text of the proposed amendments.
• A notice of informational meetings in Los Angeles and New York regarding the amendments.
• An invitation to submit pro or con statements to be posted on the Guilds’ websites.

The Board and Council voted unanimously to approve these amendments, and we personally give them our full support. Just as important, we urge all members to review these materials and to participate in the referendum process.

Best,