The WGA, As Seen on TV And in Film

In onscreen depictions of the Guild, members show its powerful role.

Labor Day provides a fitting moment to observe that WGA members occasionally express appreciation for their Guild by integrating the WGA into movie and TV stories. Sometimes, as in the 2014 romcom The Rewrite (written and directed by Marc Lawrence), the reference is fleeting but pungent. The Rewrite is about a screenwriter named Keith (Hugh Grant) hitting a career slump and accepting a teaching gig in upstate New York. Keith’s new boss, department head Hal (J.K. Simmons), explains that because he used to be a Marine, “I like to follow the rules.”

The Labor Beat

Four current labor fights every Guild member should know about.

Even the most engaged labor activist can get tunnel vision. This Labor Day, take a look at these important worker struggles happening right now in other industries throughout the country.

Striking Coal Miners in Alabama
Since April of this year, over 1,000 miners represented by the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) have been on strike against Warrior Met Coal in the town of Brookwood, Alabama. Read more >>

Good Cop, Bad Cop: Rewriting Standard Operating Procedurals

Writers of crime dramas address race inequality in the criminal justice system—and on the screen—at recent panel.

For writers of cop shows and procedurals, the argument for richer, more nuanced storytelling is a matter of addressing a powerful polarity: the indestructible appeal of crime drama across broadcast, cable, and streaming, and a national dialogue on policing and race inequality in the criminal justice system that has stamped an expiration date on an entire narrative model. Read more >>