Why I Intend to Stab My Own Union in the Back
Paul Tenny
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To make things abundantly clear, I really want to become a member of the Writers Guild of America. Despite the funny name, the WGA is a full fledged workers union, meaning you can't join unless you've done something that the union covers, such as writing and selling a screenplay. 
I've never done the latter, so I am not allowed to join the union even though I write these things on a regular basis. Oddly enough because of how these things work, once I do sell one of these scripts, I will be compelled to join whether I want to or not. In fact, I will be almost universally blacklisted if I don't.
Otherwise the guild would have no power to bargain, as people who were motivated purely by self-interest would trade unfair working conditions for a little extra comfort and money -- people like me.
Every three years, the WGA-East and WGA-West collectively bargain with the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) that represents the studios. The contract they negotiate covers every member of the union and is the only reason writers have pension and health care funds and reasonable minimum wages.
It goes without saying that unions can be invaluable to workers, and I definitely look forward to joining this one sometime in the near future. And however strange this may sound, I will happily stab the WGA in the back and everyone it represents later this year.
The current contract (called the MBA or Minimum Basic Agreement) is set to expire this fall, with the Directors Guild and Screen Actors Guild following in 2007. Relations between the guild and the AMPTP are not good right now, and many people expect a general strike.
If this happens, all members of the guild will naturally be required to stop everything they are doing for as long as it takes to get the terms the WGA wants in the new contract. Any member who crosses the strike line to work during this period, regardless of the situation, will be subject to punishment by the guild when the strike ends.
I've never done the latter, so I am not allowed to join the union even though I write these things on a regular basis. Oddly enough because of how these things work, once I do sell one of these scripts, I will be compelled to join whether I want to or not. In fact, I will be almost universally blacklisted if I don't.
Otherwise the guild would have no power to bargain, as people who were motivated purely by self-interest would trade unfair working conditions for a little extra comfort and money -- people like me.
Every three years, the WGA-East and WGA-West collectively bargain with the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) that represents the studios. The contract they negotiate covers every member of the union and is the only reason writers have pension and health care funds and reasonable minimum wages.
It goes without saying that unions can be invaluable to workers, and I definitely look forward to joining this one sometime in the near future. And however strange this may sound, I will happily stab the WGA in the back and everyone it represents later this year.
The current contract (called the MBA or Minimum Basic Agreement) is set to expire this fall, with the Directors Guild and Screen Actors Guild following in 2007. Relations between the guild and the AMPTP are not good right now, and many people expect a general strike.
If this happens, all members of the guild will naturally be required to stop everything they are doing for as long as it takes to get the terms the WGA wants in the new contract. Any member who crosses the strike line to work during this period, regardless of the situation, will be subject to punishment by the guild when the strike ends.
If the Screen Actors Guild and the Directors Guild of America strike in unison with the WGA, all of Hollywood could be shut down.