Mon Sep 23 15:13:25 UTC 2024: ## WGA East President Outlines Post-Strike Priorities: Focus on East Coast Writers’ Rooms, Unpaid Development, and Marginalized Writers

**NEW YORK, NY -** The Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) is entering a new era following the historic 148-day writers strike, and President Lisa Takeuchi Cullen has outlined the union’s top priorities for the coming year. In a memo to members, Cullen highlighted three key goals: promoting East Coast-based writers’ rooms, combating unpaid development, and ensuring that lower-level and marginalized writers are not left behind.

Cullen emphasizes the importance of securing writing opportunities for East Coast writers, particularly by highlighting the availability of film and television production tax credits in states like New York, New Jersey, Georgia, and Illinois. She also acknowledged the ongoing issue of unpaid development, which she described as a “scourge,” and pledged to fight against it.

“We are navigating the post-strike landscape in film and TV,” Cullen wrote. “This summer, we held a series of member gatherings to hear your experiences and concerns over the year since. Members reported benefiting from contract gains including staff-writer script fees, higher pay in pre-greenlight rooms and MBA terms for Appendix A in streaming, but for many the top concern remains getting back to work.”

In addition to these core priorities, the WGAE is also focused on protecting journalists, particularly amidst layoffs and industry consolidation in the media and news industries. The union is working with the Department of Labor to address this issue and advocate for policies protecting news workers.

The memo also highlights the WGAE’s ongoing efforts to organize strategically, particularly in non-fiction TV and podcast companies. The union is also investing in its infrastructure, including updating its office space and technology.

Cullen closed the memo with a call for member engagement, emphasizing that the WGAE is a “fighting union” and urging members to get involved by attending events, joining committees, and actively participating in the union’s mission.

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