PWAC asks its members not to violate the picket lines in U.S. writers' strike

The Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC) is asking its 600-odd members to eschew taking on any writing assignments that could be construed as blacklegging in the current Writers Guild of America strike.

The WGA established picket lines earlier this week at all major Hollywood studios and television production companies. The writers are striking for a new collective agreement providing better compensation for work used in new media and residuals stemming from DVD sales. According to recent WGA statements, the union is prepared to keep writers out of American television and film production for as long as it takes to negotiate a deal that will protect writers’ rights in digital media. The last major writers’ strike to hit that industry occurred in 1988, and is estimated to have cost television networks over $500 million.

PWAC joins the Writers Guild of Canada (the organization representing professional screenwriters in Canada) and other writer organizations in support of this important labour action.