On Friday, the Writers Guild of America requested that its members support the imposition of penalties against four individuals who allegedly broke guild regulations during the 2023 strike.
Among three authors – Edward John Drake, Roma Roth, and Julie Bush – allegations have surfaced about breaching union integrity by providing unapproved writing services. Meanwhile, another member, Tim Doyle, faces accusations for posting an inappropriate comment within a private writers’ Facebook group.
The Guild’s Western Board decided to kick out Drake and Roth, which is the harshest possible penalty for breaking guild regulations. Bush received a temporary ban and will never again be allowed to lead during a strike, while Doyle was publicly reprimanded.
The four individuals are all making an appeal concerning disciplinary matters to the broader membership. In addition to these four, three unnamed members were also found guilty at trial for writing during the strike. Unlike the others, these three chose not to contest this decision by appealing.
A vote on the appeals will take place by online ballot from May 6-9.
In their written communications to the group, all four authors requested a reversal of the board’s decision. Some members claimed they were treated unfairly during the process, expressing concerns about potential public humiliation and possible negative impacts on their professional futures.
Drake stated that the Board should not be allowed to bully, conduct biased hearings, impose punishments without proper procedure, ignore the suggestions of their committees, or disregard investigators’ findings. He described this experience as a terrible ordeal and hoped no one else would have to endure it. For months, he has lived in constant fear that he might wake up to find out that the Board had announced his unjust dismissal without due process.
During a filming period when there was a strike, Drake served as both writer and director for an independent project titled “Guns Up,” which took place in New Jersey. The WGAW committee claimed that Drake participated in non-union work (or “scab writing”) during production and refused to share the script drafts with guild investigators. Additionally, there were allegations that he declined to disclose the identity of a person who rewrote the movie’s ending, who was not a union member.
In their official statement, the committee made it clear to Drake why it was crucial to recognize the ‘strikebreaker’. This was because the Guild needed to deal with a person who was sabotaging the strike. However, despite this explanation, Drake remained unyielding.
Drake claimed he was being penalized for not revealing identities. He also stated that as the movie’s director, he made slight changes and modifications to the script, abiding by the rules set by the Directors Guild of America. These minor script alterations have been a contentious issue between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Directors Guild of America for decades.
The WGA trial committee proposed a 18-month ban on Drake, with the condition that he reveals the individual who altered the finale, and they would reinstate his membership upon compliance. However, the board chose to escalate the punishment to expulsion and also announced this decision publicly. As stated in Drake’s appeal, the motion for expulsion was put forward by Adam Conover, a well-known strike leader.
If you think Adam Conover and the Board should be required to clarify why they went against the advice of their own investigator, the Head of the Rules Compliance Committee, and the Trial Committee – the systems that the WGAw has established to ensure fair treatment for its members – then please cast your vote to reverse their expulsion. (Drake’s letter)
In response, the WGA board claimed that Drake displayed “disrespect” towards the hearings, and walked out during multiple sessions.
Each guild member understands that ‘pencils down’ signals a stop in work, but Edward Drake didn’t halt his work during the strike.
Roth, a Canadian writer, was overseeing the TV series “Sullivan’s Crossing” in Nova Scotia when the strike commenced. As reported by the WGA board, two writers on the show claimed that Roth took part in a Zoom meeting for writers and carried out other writing tasks during the strike.
During the work stoppage, it was confirmed that Roth took on several tasks such as breaking storylines, adjusting plot summaries, redrafting screenplays, and offering advice, guidance, or recommendations to fellow writers about their stories and teleplays,” the WGAW board stated in their official statement.
Roth contended in her defense that she terminated her writing contract when the strike started, and instead took on the role of a non-writing executive producer within the show. She expressed surprise at the severe punishment, stating that she didn’t expect the Writers Guild to view her producing work as “performing writing duties.
Roth, who served both as an executive producer on “Virgin River” and as a member of both the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Writers Guild of Canada, found herself in a unique situation. Since the production of the show fell under the jurisdiction of the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC), Roth needed a waiver from the WGA because the production company hadn’t signed the WGA contract. However, when the strike started, this waiver was taken back, effectively barring her from offering writing services to non-signatories of the WGA contract.
Besides this, she asserted that the two individuals who testified against her held biased opinions because of their personal grudges. Furthermore, she mentioned that the head of the trial panel stepped down following their conclusion that the proceedings were “fraught with errors and unjust.
I grasp and value the significant sacrifices each of you made during the labor action,” I penned down. “Rest assured, it was never my intention to inflict harm upon any of you or our Guild. It came to my attention that several producers and writers abroad continued their work throughout the strike, among them those who appeared as witnesses against me.
Bush allegedly broke the union’s rule by taking on work from non-affiliated companies. The records indicate that Bush submitted a reworked version of a pilot script for a series focusing on Elon Musk and Tesla on May 22, which was three weeks into the strike.
The board strongly condemns scab activity. Such actions go against the unifying spirit of camaraderie that defines our guild as a powerful and united labor force.
Bush countered the accusation. She contended that her legal team finalized the deal for the program just before the strike, and she maintained a continuous dialogue with the WGA’s legal team to ensure everything was in order.
It was determined that she did not violate the strike rule since the company was not a party to the agreement. Additionally, she asserted that the company had initially agreed to be a part of it, but subsequently went back on their promise, failing to honor their commitment and withholding payment from her.
The trial panel suggested a personal reprimand and a prohibition from holding the position of strike leader for three years. However, the board increased the penalty to a suspension lasting until May 2026, a permanent ban on becoming a captain, and a public rebuke.
In her defense, she maintained that she hadn’t breached the rule prohibiting work with a non-member company, primarily because she wasn’t compensated. Furthermore, she claimed that the union became aware of this matter solely due to her seeking their assistance.
However, instead of using the information I shared in confidence to assist me against a manipulative company, it was unexpectedly used by Guild staff to build a case against me,” she wrote. “They seem determined to make an example out of me, but I am not just an example; I am a fellow human being.
The WGA defended its decision to make Bush’s decision public.
The Board’s ruling is based on the principle of openness,” the board stated. “It is essential that the members are informed when one of their peers acts against our collective actions, as was the case with Bush. Furthermore, it is important for the members to be aware of the penalties that result from writing during a strike.”
“The Board’s decision stems from the importance of transparency,” the board wrote. “It is crucial that the members understand when one of their fellow members acts against our collective actions, like Bush did. Additionally, it is essential for the members to be informed about the consequences of writing during a strike.
Last July, Doyle faced public reprimand through an email sent to members due to an unsuccessful attempt at humor on Facebook. In August of 2023, a member within the WGA Writers Facebook group shared about reaching a strike milestone: “Celebrating 100 days for those who are marking it…
Doyle just let it be known that he’s put up his Christmas tree!” With the picture showing a man dangling from a tree limb.
Doyle argued that the picture symbolized his own contemplation of suicide, using dark humor to express the distress authors felt about the uncertain future of their profession. However, some members in the group perceived it as an offensive portrayal of a lynching.
It was alleged that Doyle breached the rules set out in the Writers Guild Association’s Constitution by behaving in a way that could negatively impact the guild. A committee decided to privately reprimand him, as they believed he felt sorry for his actions and didn’t plan on sharing an image depicting a lynching. However, the committee also concluded that Doyle did not fully acknowledge the damage caused by his actions or provide a genuine apology.
The board enhanced the penalty to a public reprimand, and firmly denied allegations that they were restricting his free speech on social platforms.
The Board has the authority to criticize behavior it considers detrimental to its members’ well-being, especially when such actions occur in public settings. It is important to note that this criticism, or censure, also represents a form of freedom of expression.
In response, Doyle expressed his ongoing regret for his actions and extended an apology to those he had upset. He also mentioned that it was distressing to feel excluded from the writing community, suggesting that the criticism reflected a narrow-minded attitude, an inability to forgive, and a lack of compassion.
Doyle expressed that these challenging times are impacting our union, industry, nation, and planet significantly, and it’s particularly disheartening for writers with an abundance of negative news and minimal triumphs. It appears we’re unable to hold the major figures accountable. One might wonder if people think that criticizing a fellow writer could serve as some form of compensation in return.
The board urged the membership to uphold the public censure.
The board clarified that he was not barred from employment, stripped of membership rights, or blacklisted. Instead, they publicly criticized his behavior as it had negatively impacted fellow guild members.
During the strike, WGA members were motivated to inform the union about any occurrences of non-striking activities (also known as strike-breaking). The Strike Rules Compliance Committee, headed by writer Glen Mazzara, looked into numerous reports of such incidents, as mentioned in the board’s response to Drake.
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2025-04-12 09:17