It’s Not ALL Bleak: WGA Announces Earnings Went Up in 2009
Hollywood scribes saw a 12% rebound in earnings last year — recovering much of the 15.4% financial hit that they took in 2008 from the double whammy of the recession and the 100-day strike. The Writers Guild of America West, which sent its annual report to its 8,000 members this week, disclosed that total earnings covered by WGA contracts hit $931.4 million in 2009, up $100 million from 2008. That gain, the report noted, was fueled largely by “strong” earnings by TV writers. Despite the salary increases, the number of writers employed declined last year by 11 slots to 4,328. And guild leadership took pains to point out that the number of writers getting paychecks has declined by 4.7% from 4,542 in 2006 — the most recent pre-strike year. In the report, guild leaders touted the gains in the template for new media compensation contained in the agreement with employers that settled the strike, which lasted from Nov. 5, 2007 to Feb. 12, 2008.
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