WGA, SAG Take To The Hill

The heads of the Writers Guild of America West and the Screen Actors Guild are in town to press the flesh on Capitol Hill in an effort to drum up support for their side in the ongoing strike with producers.

Alan Rosenberg, president of SAG, and Patrick Verrone, his opposite number at WGAW and former Simpsons writer, were said to be concentrating on California legislators.

Democratic Presidential Candidates Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards are among a number of
congressfolk who have already expressed their support for writers and for a swift end to the strike, which is in its ninth day.

Writers went on strike Nov. 5 after failing to reach an agreement with producers over a renewal of a contract that expired Oct. 31. Writers say they need to be compensated fairly and accurately for the proliferating places their work is distributed in the digital age. Producers say they don’t know yet whether there is a sustainable business model there.