CWA Stands with Striking Writers Guild Members

Contact: Jeff Miller or Candice Johnson, CWA Communications, 202-434-1168, jmiller@cwa-union.org and cjohnson@cwa-union.org

Washington, D.C. -- The Communications Workers of America and its print and broadcast sectors are actively supporting striking members of the Writers Guild of America (East and West).

The main issue that forced the strike – a fair share of the revenue generated by writers' work, whether in new media or traditional outlets – is shared by CWA members who work in journalism, broadcasting and other creative fields, the union noted.

In a letter to WGA members, CWA President Larry Cohen, Newspaper Guild-CWA President Linda Foley and Broadcast Employees and Technicians-CWA President John Clark praised their "bold, brave action" as necessary in a world that each day is more dominated by new media.

"Because of your strike, many people outside our industries are grasping these critical issues for the first time. The public understands that it is not fair for media corporations to reap the profits of a new information age at the expense of the creative people doing the actual work," they wrote. 

"Our members understand that their future livelihoods depend on your success in contract talks now" and are joining picket lines, rallies and solidarity actions with Writers Guild members, they wrote.

The Communications Workers of America represents 700,000 workers in communications and Internet technology, print and broadcast journalism, publishing, health care, higher education and public service, manufacturing and the airline industry. More information is available at ga.cwa-union.org.