WGAE Gets First NonCom Contract Including Digital-Only Content  

Four-year contract includes pay boosts in latter three years

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/8/2010 6:11:00 PM

Public TV writers have unanimously ratified a new four-year contract that covers made-for-Internet content as well as traditional fare, the first time the Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) has gotten jurisdiction for that programming in a contact for noncommercial writers.

The contract has no raise in the first, year, but does boost pay 2% in the second year and 2.75% for each the remaining two.

The contract covers writers for major PBS programming producing stations WGBH Boston, WNET New York and KCET Los Angeles, as well as a number of smaller producers. The contract was negotiated between WGAE and that consortium.

WGAE represents about 4,000 writers in TV, cable, digital media, and film. It has been agressively going after online jurisdiction to insure that growing sector is covered under union contracts.

Just last month, it began representing commercial station Web-only writers for the first time. Since Web writing is not covered in current contracts, it has to essentially organize shop-by-shop.