WGAW seeks arbitration
Guild leaders agree to meet again in May and June
|
In a letter to members issued Friday, WGA West president Daniel Petrie Jr. said his branch still plans to seek arbitration to reach a solution -- a declaration immediately slammed by the WGA East.
Leaders of the WGA West and WGA East had confabbed April 9-10 in Los Angeles and agreed to meet again in May and June. Of the future talks, Petrie said, "While the formal process toward arbitration will take its course, I have the highest hopes that the other track of face-to-face talks with our fellow writers will ultimately render arbitration unnecessary."
WGA East VP Warren Leight labeled Petrie's missive "a disappointment."
"There was a feeling of goodwill that emerged from last week's meetings and a hope that these issues could best be worked out within the guilds, writer to writer, rather than through the legal system," he said. "Barely five days later, we are saddened to see the West recklessly rush to arbitration without even attempting to mediate this dispute."
Petrie asserted in the letter that the WGA West leaders believe the two branches should be merged, contending it made no sense to operate two unions with separate staffs. "While we thought a merger of the two guilds should be our mutual long-term goal, we recognized that it was unrealistic in the short term," he added.
The WGA West is claiming the East branch owes more than $500,000 per year in dues for failing to observe provisions of the 51-year-old affiliation agreement that set up the two branches and owes another $500,000 annually for services it provides to WGA East members. Its leaders also have contended the membership requirements for the West are more stringent.
The WGA East has accused the West of union-busting and strongly disputed the financial numbers.
The WGA West, based in Hollywood, has about 9,000 members and an annual budget of about $20 million. The WGA East, based in New York, has about 4,000 members and a $6 million budget.
