Writers Guild East to Mobilize Members Against 'Racism, Sexism' in Post-Trump World (Exclusive)

The Writers Guild of America East has issued a letter following the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president to mobilize members to fight for “a more diverse, inclusive and just industry,” TheWrap has learned.

“We must mobilize our current and future members,” said WGAE executive director Lowell Peterson in a letter sent to members on Wednesday that describes the union as “an activist organization.”

WGAE communications director Jason Gordon said the letter was a recognition of the changed political climate in the wake of Trump’s surprise upset of Hillary Clinton for the White House.

Also Read: Guilds Quiet Post Election, IATSE and AFL-CIO Voice Deep Concern

“Post Trump, we need to organize, engage and activate,” Gordon told TheWrap on Thursday. “It’s time to focus on being aware the next four years.”

Gordon indicated the group is prepared to mobilize on a wide array of issues — from net neutrality, media conglomeratization, professional development, and panel discussions, like, “writing about a racially charged America.”

“As a guild, we have fought for so many diversity initiatives and social justice issues. Members been active on this for decades and decades,” he said, adding that the group is prepared to combat “racism, sexism and xenophobia.”

Also Read: Video Game Actors Strike: Second Picket Set for WB Games

Read the full letter sent to WGAE members:

The Writers Guild of America, East is an activist organization. We are deeply engaged in building power for writers and creative professionals through our organizing campaigns, supporting pertinent legislation and fighting to win benefits and pay that improve our members’ lives.

This election offers us at least two important insights that will ultimately inform our activism: (a) there is no national consensus about which institutions should wield power (e.g., Wall Street, the Beltway political elite, media conglomerates); and (b) to survive and prosper, we must mobilize our current and future members.

That is why we call on you to sign up to the WGAE’s Activist List and be engaged in union actions.

Join us for meetings to prepare for Minimum Basic Agreement negotiations next year. Join our efforts to organize more sectors of the entertainment industry, like nonfiction television and digital news. Join us in fighting for a more diverse, inclusive and just industry. Join us at events where members come together to discuss topical issues and professional development. Join as we fight for the future.

This is your Guild. We are only as strong as we are united.

Get active.

In Solidarity,

Lowell Peterson
Executive Director
Writers Guild of America, East

Video Game Actors Explain Why They Are Striking Back at the Industry (Photos)

Members of the Screen Actor's Guild (SAG-AFTRA) picketed in front of the Los Angeles offices of video gaming company Electronic Arts on Monday. Consisting of roughly 300 protesters, the demonstration signified the start of a union strike among video game actors and stunt people that officially began on Friday (Oct. 21). Click on to get six stories TheWrap gathered from the picket line:
Meriah Doty/TheWrap
"The [gaming] employers' inability to shift is wrong," Gabrielle Carteris, the current president of SAG-AFTRA, said. "A strike is not easy and not something I or the membership take lightly," the former "Beverly Hills, 90210" star told TheWrap. "This is a global industry and we stand together," she added, citing support from an array of other labor unions. "It's time for us to take a strong stand."
Meriah Doty/TheWrap
"It's a lot of hard work and we deserve to be paid and treated right," said young voice actor Haile Brown, left, who showed up on Monday to picket along with her father, John Brown. "I'm part of this amazing union and I wouldn't be where I am without them."
Meriah Doty/TheWrap
Actor-producer Ross Michael Johnson, left, and cinematographer Henry Hodge showed up to the picket line in costume. "I'm here to support everyone," said Johnson. Said Hodge: "I have plenty of friends and colleagues in the industry who are affected by this, which is why I"m here to support today."

Meriah Doty/TheWrap
Phil LaMarr, formerly of "Mad TV," performs voice over work and motion capture for video games "Mortal Kombat," "Injustice" and "Metal Gear." "The first time I worked motion capture on a game my character was supposed to be hanging from a harness," he said, describing the situation as being unsafe. "We need protections in our contracts because a lot of actors either don't know or are afraid to assert themselves," explained the actor, who serves on SAG-AFTRA's negotiating committee for the actors' video game contracts.
Meriah Doty/TheWrap
Eliana Alexander, right, and John Nikitin are both actors and producers. "We want equal pay," said Alexander, who has done video game voice work. "We want better pay. We want to be supported and be acknowledged."

The gaming companies are "going non-union," she added. "They're finding a cheaper way to get around everything. Our voices are the strength of those video games."

"I'm here to support my fellow actors. We're all one. United we stand, divided we fall," Nikitin added.
Meriah Doty/TheWrap
"It should not take two years to get a collective bargaining agreement," said Steve Dayan, principle officer of Teamsters Local 399 in Hollywood who appeared with his fellow members on the picket line in support of SAG-AFTRA. "Something is broken down and hopefully the employers will come to the table and make a fair offer to these people who breathe life into these characters. They're the reason why gamers get engaged."

Other unions, including the Writers Guild of America, showed up to the protest to support SAG-AFTRA.

Also Read: UPDATE: Video Game Actors Strike Begins
Meriah Doty/TheWrap

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”It’s time for us to take a strong stand,“ SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris tells TheWrap

Members of the Screen Actor's Guild (SAG-AFTRA) picketed in front of the Los Angeles offices of video gaming company Electronic Arts on Monday. Consisting of roughly 300 protesters, the demonstration signified the start of a union strike among video game actors and stunt people that officially began on Friday (Oct. 21). Click on to get six stories TheWrap gathered from the picket line:

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Video Game Actors Explain Why They Are Striking Back at the Industry (Photos)

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