400+ WGA Members in Film and TV Demand a Fair Contract for Guild Members at MSNBC

NEW YORK, NY (February 8, 2023) – More than 400 writers in film and television who are members of the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) and Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) signed a petition in support of their fellow Guild members at MSNBC who have been negotiating a first contract for over a year with management at MSNBC and NBCUniversal.

In August 2021, in the face of a Company-led anti-union campaign, the 300-member MSNBC bargaining unit overwhelmingly won a National Labor Relations Board election to unionize with the Writers Guild of America, East. The unit includes writers, producers, and other editorial staff at every program airing on MSNBC and Peacock.

Among the writers who signed the petition to support the MSNBC Union are Adam Brooks (MOZART IN THE JUNGLE), Kay Cannon (The PITCH PERFECT franchise), Alfonso Cuaron (ROMA), Tina Fey (30 ROCK), Tom Fontana (CITY ON A HILL), Travon Free (TWO DISTANT STRANGERS), Terry George (HOTEL RWANDA), Jim Hart (HOOK), Soo Hugh (PACHINKO), Richard LaGravenese (BEHIND THE CANDELABRA), Warren Leight (The LAW & ORDER franchise), Adam McKay (DON’T LOOK UP), Greg Mottola (CONFESS, FLETCH), Terence Nance (RANDOM ACTS OF FLYNESS), Julie Rottenberg (AND JUST LIKE THAT), Ira Sachs (LITTLE MEN), Erica Saleh (ONE OF US IS LYING), James Schamus (INDIGNATION), David Simon (THE WIRE), Lauren Ashley Smith (A BLACK LADY SKETCH SHOW), Lilly Wachowski (THE MATRIX franchise), Michael Weber (THE DISASTER ARTIST), Alan Zweibel (SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE), and many more.

The petition to MSNBC reads:

“We are members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA), who write and create scripted programs for NBCU and other studios. We support our fellow Guild- represented writers and producers at MSNBC who have been fighting for over a year to win a reasonable first contract. They are fully dedicated to the important work they do for NBCU and they deserve to be paid – and treated – fairly.

“When they work long hours or long weeks, when they work night hours or stand by ready to write and produce on a moment’s notice, when they perform the duties of people at higher pay grades, they deserve extra pay.

“Our colleagues are fighting for what we all need – meaningful protections set forth in a collective bargaining agreement. We call on management to recognize the contributions of the Guild-represented employees at MSNBC by agreeing to a fair contract that includes the pay and protections they deserve.”

The full petition with signees can be found here. [PDF]

Lowell Peterson, Executive Director of the Writers Guild of America, East, said, “We are proud to represent the people who write comedies, dramas, and news for NBCU.  We will keep fighting at the bargaining table for a contract that addresses the very real needs and aspirations of our folks at MSNBC.  We are one union.”

In addition to MSNBC, the Union represents newsrooms at 1010 WINS, ABC News, Audacy (WCBS-AM, WBBM-AM, KNX-AM), CBS News, CBSN, Fox 5 WNYW-TV, Thirteen Productions (Thirteen/WNET), and WBBM-CBS 2 News.

ABOUT THE WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA, EAST
The Writers Guild of America, East, AFL-CIO (WGAE) is a labor union representing writers in film, television, news, podcasts, and online media. The Guild negotiates and administers contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of its members; conducts programs, seminars and events on issues of interest to writers; and presents writers’ views to various bodies of government. For more information on the Writers Guild of America, East, visit wgaeast.org.

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