Is the Writers Guild a Trap?

This has been bothering me for some time about the WGA strike. After going back and forth about whether or not it's a good idea to strike the 'companies' who have been withholding royalties and other funds from writers I've come to some thought provoking solutions and conclusions. As I explain my theories I would like to point out the fact that this is an opinion about the facts of the guild and what they're here for.

I've been on conference calls with some industry professionals who were on the street picketing in front of some of the struck companies accused of withholding royalties from writers. I've never heard of so many passionate people coming together for what they believe is an unjust and disrespectful act towards them. I was with them as they related to me and other writers their frustrations with the studio production companies. Tears were starting to form in my eyes as one writer protested the fact that she's been missing so many paychecks that she had to put her home up for sale. It was tragic and harrowing to listen to them as they cried out for their missing royalties and lack of respect for the craft of writing. In truth, I was ready to get a plane ticket and fly to where they were and join in the picketing. I decided not to do so since I'm not a member of the guild which, in turn, set off some red flags about this whole strike.

First of all, from the outside looking in, I feel that this might have been a mistake on the part of the WGA to go through with the strike. Now this is simply because the writers who are protesting are seriously missing out on funds that are now being rewarded to non-guild members like myself and a few others I know of. When the lady got on the phone and gave her testimony about how the production companies weren't paying her royalty checks I said to myself, "Did it occur to some of you writers that the WGA may be the ones taking the fees from your royalties?" It would seem to me that they are since they charge a fee every time a writer who is a member signs with a production company who is signed on with them.

That fact brought up another thought that I did voice on that conference call and when I said this the line got so quiet I thought the facilitator hung up on me. I told them this, "With all of what's been going on with the failed negotiations leading up to the strike, it seems that the battle is really with the WGA leaders and some of the production companies. I think the production companies wanted the WGA to stop taking so much of a cut from the royalty checks they did send. It's unfortunate that the writers are really caught in the middle of their war."

As you may have guessed there were differences in opinion rattling all at once but there were a few who did listen and knew where I was coming from. It's the same thing that happens in the music business when you sale a song to an artist or a music publishing company.

BMI and ASCAP are the two main organizations responsible for making sure the songwriters get their royalty checks but a lot of writers don't realize that they take a fee of the royalty checks you receive. Now in order for someone to be a success in the music industry you must have a hit or the fees that organizations like BMI and ASCAP take will definitely be felt in your pocket.

Another question I brought up about the strike to them was what is the WGA doing about writers who just started out and just signed with them or have their works registered with them. I told them, "I don't know about the rest of you writers but I'm broke and there is no one else in the world willing to help me but me and I have to do what I can to survive," and of course they didn't have an answer for that one either.

While I do believe that the 'writers' have a legitimate claim to protest about their royalties, I am very apprehensive right now about the purpose of the WGA and what they're really going after. I did promise in the title of this editorial about a possible solution and this is what I've found to be a "suspected" practical one for all concerned. Maybe the WGA needs to stop demanding more money from the production companies to cover their fees so that when they take a bigger cut from writer's royalties, it won't be detected. Now this is just my solution of what is really going on with past negotiations before the strike. I'm not suggesting that writers not join the WGA, I'm merely suggesting that the WGA stop being greedy for our royalties.