Posted: Fri., Sep. 16, 2005, 12:45pm PT

WGAE votes Albers prexy

Scribe pledges to resolve dispute with WGA West

By Dave McNary

Albers

The article was updated at 1:47 p.m. on Sept. 18, 2005.

HOLLYWOOD -- Chris Albers has topped Richard Wesley in the contest for presidency of the WGA East and will succeed Warren Leight in the post.

Albers, a member of the WGA East Council, stressed during the campaign that he'd work toward resolving the Eastern branch's bitter financial dispute with the WGA West. He also emphasized the need to unionize writing work for basic cable, animation and the Internet.

"We need to settle this dispute with the West while protecting our autonomy," he told Daily Variety. "Our members are frustrated by this infighting with our sister union, which isn't our enemy."

The battle centers on the WGA West's demand that screenwriters hold dual membership in both guilds and that half their dues be sent west, based on provisions in the guild's 1954 constitution. The WGA West is claiming the Eastern branch owes more than $500,000 per year in dues and owes another $500,000 annually for services the WGAW provides to WGA East members.

The WGA East has accused its Western sibling of union-busting, strongly disputes the financial numbers and notes that the constitutional provisions haven't been enforced in three decades. The two sides haven't held formal meetings on the dispute since June -- two months after the Eastern branch sued the WGA West for refusing to engage in mediation, triggering a countersuit by WGAW to force arbitration.

Albers, a writer on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," headed a near-sweep of the election by the WGAEmpowered slate. Other winners who were part of Albers' slate included Tom Fontana, who won the VP slot; Leight, who won a council seat; and council candidates Adam Brooks, Susan Kim, Penelope Koechl, Stephen Schiff, Cath Twohill and Donald Westlake. Gail Lee of CBS Radio won re-election as secretary-treasurer.

Leight, Westlake, Schiff and Koechl were re-elected to their seats as freelance members while Kim and Brooks were newly elected as freelance reps. Twohill was re-elected as a staff member of the council; Hank Weinbloom and Duane Tollison were newly elected to staff seats.

Officers for the WGA East, which reps about 4,000 members, will be installed Oct. 6. The WGA West, which reps about 8,000 members, will announce its election results Tuesday.