WGA thanks Guilds

The IPSG received letters of thanks from the WGA East and West for our contribution to the International Day of Support last week for the WGA strike:

Letter from the Writers Guild of America West:

Dear Members of the International Writers' Community:

We at the Writers Guild of America extend our heartfelt thanks to members of the international community for your unprecedented and robust outpouring of support for our cause on International Solidarity Day on November 28. We were moved and inspired by the hundreds of scribes who marched in front of the Eiffel Tower in France, at the Brandenburg Gate in Germany, and on the streets of Canada, England, Australia, Spain, Portugal, The Netherlands, Wales, and Mexico. Clearly, our fight to win fair compensation from global media corporations has struck a chord with writers everywhere.

The scope of the protests was truly impressive: In Berlin, over 100 German writers carried WGA picket signs at the Brandenburg Gate. Hundreds of writers marched in freezing temperatures in Montreal and Toronto. In Amsterdam, an auditorium full of writers cheered our cause. We have heard from the Portuguese Screenwriters Guild, the Writers Guild of Great Britain, the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds, the Writers Guild of Canada, the Screenwriters Guild of Germany, and the Federation of Screenwriters in Europe. Members of the Irish Playwrights and Screenwriters Guild marched for our cause dressed as leprechauns!

At home, WGA members with international backgrounds marched at NBC Studios in Burbank, California. Jean-Yves Pitoun, a French native and WGA West member, stressed that the fight in the U.S. has an impact abroad: "Europeans are very carefully watching the writers, actors, and directors in the U.S. because Rupert Murdoch is everywhere."

We thank you for reinforcing that fair compensation for writers is a worldwide cause. Together our voices will be heard.

Sincerely,

Board of Directors
Writers Guild of America West

Letter from Michael Winship, Writers Guild of America East:

Subject: Thank You So Much for the International Day of Solidarity

Dear Friends of the IAWG:
I am on a short break from the negotiations in Los Angeles, and have a chance to send you this note.

First, I am so sorry that I was unable to see all of you in Montreal, but strike duty prevailed. It sounds as if it was a productive and enjoyable meeting and it would have been great to be there. Next year!

Second, and more important, I want to express my profound gratitude to all of you for invoking and then so effectively implementing the International Day of Solidarity on November 28. Your support means so much to our members. It was an inspiration to see our strike signs held high all over the world. Your steadfastness and willingness to spread the gospel were above and beyond the call of duty.I am proud to count all of you among my friends.

Thank you so very much!
In solidarity,

Michael Winship
President
Writers Guild of America, East