Writers Guild East
Basic Information
Financial Information
The Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA), which is enforced by the Office of Labor-Management Standards, requires labor unions to file annual reports detailing their operations. Contained in those reports are breakdowns of each union's spending, income and other financial information.
Basic Financials
| Total Assets | $13,270,815 |
| Total Liabilities | $1,647,417 |
| Total Income | $9,124,638 |
| Total Spent | $9,814,833 |
Total Assets Trend
Assets (Change from previous report)
| Cash | $1,094,091 (-38.7%) |
| Accounts Receivable | $2,530,665 (+8.8%) |
| Investments | $8,893,594 (+6.1%) |
| Fixed Assets | $683,177 (+6.1%) |
| Treasury Securities | $0 (0.0%) |
| Other Assets | $69,288 (+72.2%) |
| Loans Receivable | $0 (-100.0%) |
Liabilities
| Loans Payable | $0 |
| Accounts Payable | $517,240 |
| Other Liabilities | $1,130,177 |
| Mortgages | $0 |
Income
| Dues | $6,721,045 |
| Per Person Tax | $0 |
| Investments | $788,957 |
| Supplies | $0 |
| Loan Repayment | $21,335 |
| Interest | $608 |
| Dividends | $197,918 |
| Rents | $0 |
| Fees and Fines | $605,270 |
| Loans Obtained | $0 |
| Other Receipts | $732,649 |
| Affiliates | $0 |
| Members | $56,856 |
| Reinvestments | $104,222 |
| All Others | $378,127 |
Source: Office of Labor Management Standards
Year Covered: 2019 • Last Updated: April 8th, 2021
Spending
The Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) requires unions to report how they spent their money in a number of categories. For the first five, OLMS requires unions to provide detailed information on any recipient that received more than $5,000 per year.
Total Spent in 2019
$9,814,833
Spending Overview
Spending Breakdown
| Representational | $2,860,125 (29.14%) |
| Political Activities and Lobbying | $73,584 (0.75%) |
| Contributions, Gifts, and Grants | $43,544 (0.44%) |
| General Overhead | $1,914,622 (19.51%) |
| Union Administration | $2,364,329 (24.09%) |
| Strike Benefits | $0 (0.00%) |
| To Union Officers | $13,979 (0.14%) |
| To Union Employees | $2,502,739 (25.50%) |
| Education | $0 (0.00%) |
| Fees | $0 (0.00%) |
Search All Spending
Source: Office of Labor Management Standards
Year Covered: 2019 • Last Updated: April 8th, 2021
Membership
Total Members
5,116
Income per Member
$1,784
Dues (per quarter)
$40 per quarter + 1.5% of covered earnings
Membership Trend
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 4,173 |
| 2003 | 4,161 |
| 2004 | 4,229 |
| 2005 | 3,810 |
| 2006 | 3,770 |
| 2007 | 3,800 |
| 2008 | 3,791 |
| 2009 | 3,777 |
| 2010 | 3,917 |
| 2011 | 3,964 |
| 2012 | 3,622 |
| 2013 | 3,670 |
| 2014 | 3,718 |
| 2015 | 3,841 |
| 2016 | 3,946 |
| 2017 | 4,517 |
| 2018 | 4,765 |
| 2019 | 5,116 |
Source: Office of Labor Management Standards
Year Covered: 2019 • Last Updated: April 8th, 2021
Leaders & Salaries
Average Total Compensation
$59,758
Total Employees
63
Employees Making more than $75,000
18
Top Ten Highest Paid Leaders
| Name | Title | Total Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| LOWELL PETERSON | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | $372,474 |
| MARSHA SEEMAN | ASST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | $232,745 |
| ANN BURDICK | GENERAL COUNSEL | $197,597 |
| JUSTIN MOLITO | DIR. OF ORGANIZING | $194,416 |
| RUTH GALLO | ASST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | $186,290 |
| MEGAN MCROBERT | FIELD REPRESENTATIVE | $145,870 |
| ARSENIA REILLY-COLLINS | DIR. OF CONTRACT CAMPAIGN | $144,853 |
| DANA WEISSMAN | DIR. OF PROGRAMS | $144,542 |
| GEFFREY BETTS | DIR. OF CONTRACT ENFORCE | $144,406 |
| JASON GORDON | COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR | $136,604 |
Source: Office of Labor Management Standards
Year Covered: 2019 • Last Updated: April 8th, 2021
Pensions
Pensions Linked to the Union
| Pension Name/Sponsor | Members | Funding Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Producers-writers Guild Of America Pension Plan Board Of Directors Producers-writer Guild Of America Pension Plan | 15,544 | 96.2 |
Source: Internal Revenue Service.
Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) Allegations
Unionized employees, business owners, managers, and others often bring labor law charges against unions. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) oversees the porcess of determining if the union violated the National Labor Relations Act.
| Allegation | Cases Filed |
|---|---|
| 8(a)(5) Refusal to Furnish Information | 2 |
| 8(a)(1) Coercive Actions (Surveillance, etc) | 1 |
Please note that a single case may fall into multiple allegation categories.
Source: National Labor Relations Board; Case Activity Tracking System
Recent Strikes
| Employer/Location | Union | Days on Strike | Employees on Strike |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABC Inc. New York, NY | WGAE Local | 150 | |
| CBS New York, NY | WGAE Local | 400 | |
| CBS New York, NY | WGAE Local | 30 | |
| CBS Broadcasting Inc. - WINS-AM in NY New York, NY | WGAE Local | 0 | |
| WNET.org/Thirteen New York, NY | WGAE Local | 200 | |
| WGBH Educational Foundation Boston, MA | WGAE Local | 200 | |
| Optomen Productions New York , NY | WGAE Local | 30 | |
| CBS Broadcasting Inc. (National Staff Agt. and All Supplements) New York, NY | WGAE Local | 0 | |
| CBS Broadcasting, Inc. Chicago, IL | WGAE Local | 5 | |
| CBS New York, NY | WGAE Local | 30 |
Recent Contract Negotiations
| Industry | Contracts |
|---|---|
| Arts, Entertainment and Recreation | 29 |
| Communications | 16 |
| Information | 4 |
| Not Provided | 2 |
| Sports / Entertainment | 1 |