Writers Guild of America, East Resumes Organizing Digital Media

NEW YORK, NY (February 16, 2022) — The Council of the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) voted unanimously to resume organizing in digital media.

As the media industry continues to unionize across sectors, the WGAE Council is deliberating how to address changes in the make-up of the Guild’s membership and how to ensure that the union can meet the needs of all members—in digital and broadcast news, podcasts, scripted and nonfiction television, feature films, and public broadcasting.

A letter signed by every Councilmember told members:

Ever since last summer’s contentious election, your elected representatives have been hard at work trying to find a path forward for our union, together. This has involved hundreds of hours of meetings and, more recently, a series of intense but productive sessions with an outside labor facilitator and labor lawyer.

The makeup of our union has changed significantly over the past six years, but our constitution has not. Council is now working in good faith toward changes that will meet the needs of our membership now and into the future. Because we understand and support the need to organize new digital shops to build our union and enhance the bargaining power of digital members, we have voted unanimously to direct the Executive Director to resume organizing in digital media.

Our next step is to talk to you, the membership, about the future of our union. This will take a variety of forms, including personal outreach, surveys and more. Please know that you are the Guild, and your opinion is vital. Thank you for your attention and support as we work together toward a solution that protects and unites us all.

The Writers Guild of America, East represents nearly 7,000 members working in film, television, news (broadcast and digital), and podcasts.

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