WGA firms up ratification vote

The WGA's planning to send out its ratification ballot to members shortly and has also told members that they can submit pro and con statements if those statements are signed by 10 members. There's no charge to do so but the pages must be camera ready and submitted to the WGA by noon Thursday.

The ratification vote is used as the formal approval of the new three-year deal and is expected to be completed in about two weeks.

Here's the entire messsage to members --   

In keeping with our tradition of encouraging a free flow of ideas and opinions among the membership, the Current members in good standing have the opportunity to submit statements supporting or opposing ratification of the proposed 2008 MBA.  The Guilds will mail statements submitted by at least ten members at no charge to all voting members of WGAE and WGAW.  The Guilds will also post these and other member statements and their websites, in accordance with the rules below.

·     Any 10 or more members in good standing who are eligible to vote on the 2008 MBA may submit a pro or con statement relating to ratification of the proposed contract.  The requirement of ten or more members may be met by any combination of voting members of WGAW or WGAE.

·     Statements must be delivered to WGAW or WGAE headquarters in “camera-ready” condition no later than 12:00 Noon (local time) on Thursday, February 14, 2008. This deadline is firm. Statements received after the deadline will NOT be included in the mailing.  Please read the attached deadline policy.

·     There is no fee for copying or mailing.  Both Guilds will mail these statements to the combined WGAW WGAE membership for free.  The statements will also be posted on the Guilds’ websites.  Statements submitted by fewer than 10 Current members in good standing will only be posted on the websites.

·     Camera-ready statements may be any length on letter-sized pages (8½” x 11”).

·     The names of 10 or more Current members in good standing endorsing each statement must appear directly on the statements submitted to the Guild.  These names will appear on the statement mailed to the membership and will be posted on the web sites.

·     Members’ signatures in legible form must be submitted to the WGAW or WGAE by the February 14, 2008 deadline, either on the statements themselves, or on separate papers, letters or correspondence.

·     Camera-ready statements and supporting signatures submitted through WGAW should be delivered to WGAW, attention Jennifer Burt, 7000 W. Third St., LA, CA 90048.  They may be delivered (1) in person; (2) by mail; (3) by email to jburt@wga.org; and by fax to (323) 782-4801.  (Note that statements will not be re-typed at the Guild, and will be considered camera-ready as received.)

·     Camera-ready statements and supporting signatures submitted through WGAE should be delivered to WGAE, attention Geoff Betts, 555 West 57th St., New York, NY 10019. They may be delivered (1) in person; (2) by mail; (3) by email to GBetts@wgaeast.org and by fax to (212) 582-1909.  (Note that statements will not be re-typed at the Guild, and will be considered camera-ready as received.)

·    

·     For the Guilds’ mailing and website posting, the order of statements within each category, pro and con, will be determined by lot.

Please note:  The Guilds do not check whether the writers whose signatures are submitted as endorsing a pro or con statement have actually consented to the use of their names in connection with that statement.

All member statements are the responsibility of the individuals making them, rather than the Guilds, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of the WGAW and WGAE, or their respective elected officials or staffs.

For a summary of the tentative agreement, please visit: http://www.wga.org/contract_07/wga_tent_summary.pdf

Comments

[Nurset]

I am glad they finally decided to end the strike and i know how proud they say they are for striking but i have one thing to say "SHAME ON YOU!" Hope your proud of what you finally got? Do you even care at what and who's expense? Over a 160,000 people suffered for a Guild of 12,000 people. Twelve thousand people that do not even work in this business everyday not even every year! 40,000 IA members lost jobs, their homes and health insurance. The damage a pain that you cost so many whom will not even benefit from anything that you are striking for. Patrick could of ended this along time ago but i guess he was to busy acting like a rock star! WGA you are all very selfish people and certainly do not care about the people whom make your words on paper come to life "THE BELOW THE LINE CREWS"
I have lost all my respect for the WGA

[Just the facts]

Right back at you, Nurset. Unions have the right to strike if they feel their very existence is threatened, which ours was. The WGA had to strike in order to establish our place in new media, which will very soon just be "the media." The producers and their monstrous greed caused this strike. Without it, our union fades to black, so to speak. You certainly have the right to your opinion, but it doesn't mean we have to respect it. So for your ill-informed and myopic view on the situation, shame on you.