Writers Guild Launches Public Organizing Campaign for Reality TV Storytellers
Nearly 1,000 Reality TV Writers, Producers, and Editors From the Major Reality TV Production Companies Sign Authorization Cards for Representation
LOS ANGELES -- The Writers Guild of America, west (WGAw) is going public with an industry-wide campaign to organize reality TV writers, producers, and editors. "This is the most aggressive organizing effort the Guild has undertaken since its founding," said Daniel Petrie Jr., president. "The secret about reality TV isn't that it's scripted, which it is; the secret is that reality TV is a 21st-century telecommunications industry sweatshop."
Since May 7, when more than 500 people attended an organizing meeting at the WGA theater in Beverly Hills, the guild has received nearly 1,000 signed authorization cards from writers, producers, and editors who work in reality television and want to be represented by the WGAw. Based on this overwhelming response by a majority of those working in the reality field, the Writers Guild sent a demand letter for recognition to all of the major reality production companies. So far not one company has agreed to negotiate.
"This is why we now are taking our campaign public," Petrie said. "The creative men and women who make reality television possible work without health and pension benefits or minimum salary protections or residuals. They often work under oppressive conditions, among them near universal indifference to and noncompliance with state and federal overtime laws. The Writers Guild is committed to seeing the end of this 'Holly-Mart.'
"These storytellers have united to change these practices once and for all, and they have the full support of our membership. Currently, we are reaching out to our members to keep them apprised of recent campaign developments. Nine thousand members of the WGA will receive a special 'Reality TV Extra' issue of our newsletter, which tells the stories of the writers, producers, and editors who help create these successful shows.
"Companies that are signatory to our basic agreement have chosen to engage in non-union production of reality TV. The conglomerates, the broadcast and cable networks, and the reality production companies that reap the profits from licensing and product integration deals are ignoring the rights of the men and women who work for them.
"The responsible reaction for these companies would be to sit down with the WGA and bargain a fair contract covering these writers, producers, and editors. Collective bargaining is the right of all employees as American citizens.
"We sincerely hope that the industry agrees to sit down immediately and right these wrongs. The people working in reality TV deserve the protections of health and pension benefits, minimum salary, fair working conditions, and residuals — just like everyone else in the industry. If the industry refuses, we are prepared to take the actions necessary to achieve our goals and to assist the reality TV workforce as they seek enforcement of state and federal overtime laws."
For additional articles and interviews regarding the guild's efforts to organize reality TV, please visit: Reality Index.
The Writers Guild of America, west represents writers in the motion picture, broadcast, cable, and new media industries in both entertainment and news. The union conducts numerous programs, seminars, and events throughout the world on issues of interest to, and on behalf of, writers.
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