Captains at the Ready

Gathering in large numbers for the first time since the conclusion of the 2023 strike, more than 130 WGAW captains met last Saturday to discuss progress and priorities as the Guild looks to 2025 and beyond. 

The captains met at the WGAW to hear updates from leadership, to offer perspective from their teams and to affirm their commitment to the Captains Program to help the Guild achieve its strategic goals. The event included brainstorming breakout sessions and an “enforcement game show.” 

Betsy Thomas, Michele Mulroney, Meredith Stiehm, and Ellen Stutzman address captains at the November 16, 2024 meeting. Photo by Moises Marquez.

The aim of the meeting was to continue to build upon the momentum established during the 2023 contract campaign and strike. 

“We all found a great sense of community on the picket lines,” said WGAW captain Myles Warden during his opening remarks. “We were all empowered by each other’s presence and the unity that we gained out of the pursuit of some of the greatest gains any guild has ever received. We pulled off impossible feats together, and we want to make sure we keep those bonds, continue that community and build off that momentum.”

Many of the captains in attendance emphasized the importance of staying connected both with other members and with fellow captains. Warden, who became a WGAW member in the months before the strike, embraced his role as a captain both during the strike and afterwards. While he is in development on a show, he acknowledges that many of his writer friends are facing difficulties. 

“We’re trying to get as many of us staffed and working and just keep up the energy that we all have,” said Warden who has gathered members at his house for a monthly game night to help boost morale. “It’s been a tough time in this economy, not just for writers but for everybody. We want to make sure we take care of each other and that we’re looking out for the lower- and mid-level writers who have been hit particularly hard.”

Between industry contraction that has reduced the number of jobs and a new presidential administration expected to be hostile to organized labor, WGAW President Meredith Stiehm acknowledged the challenges facing the Guild in its work to build power for writers. 

“If there is any group that can come back and fight again, it’s the people in this room, and it’s the membership,” Stiehm told the crowd. “We have done it over and over again. We have been here before. I believe in us. I think the fact that we’re all here means that you do, too. So let’s make this day one of rising again.” 

WGAW captain Rebecca Belloto at the captains meeting. Photo by Moises Marquez.

Stiehm, Vice President Michele Mulroney, Secretary-Treasurer Betsy Thomas and Executive Director Ellen Stutzman reviewed several of the gains of the 2023 MBA, citing multiple examples of writers already benefitting from those provisions. These range from staff writers earning script fees to development rooms that guarantee 10 weeks of work at premium rates, to screenwriters getting guaranteed second step deals. In addition, staff has continued its outreach to screenwriters in an ongoing effort to combat free work.

Post-strike, the Guild has monitored and enforced the new terms of the contract to ensure that our employers do not attempt end runs around MBA protections.

The Guild has also been watching out for studios closing a writers’ room before the work is done and paying writers freelance script fees without Article 14 weekly fees—a practice that is a violation of the MBA. Over the summer, the Guild negotiated a $3 million settlement on behalf of 24 writers at three CBS shows where such violations occurred.

As part of the Guild’s turn toward enforcement, captains are helping keep the companies accountable. Guild leaders announced additional dates for captains’ training on the provisions of the 2023 MBA and Room Reports, a new tool which captains and showrunners are using to gather information about room duration, staff size, and other details critical to enforcing new writers’ room provisions. They also pointed to other resources that captains can share with their teams, like the Screenwriter Invoice Tool, customized individual deal research conducted by staff, and the Project Page. The Guild is also gathering showrunners to share best practices to get the staffing they need on their shows. 

“It’s our job to make sure that the gains we fought for are realized and that we do everything we can to push up writers’ standards,” said Stutzman. “You are all part of that by showing up today and by continuing to build up our Captains Program.”