Message to WGAE Members
Septemper 13th, 2024
Benjamin has shown amazing fortitude to speak up to the status quo of the WGAE. I admire his vision for a future union that will take risks to grow in the face of endless corporate power. He is a champion for anyone who has ever worked in nonfiction television.
—Henriette Mantel, WGAW Member
Benjamin’s dedication to the cause of protecting and advancing the rights and livelihoods of nonfiction writers is unwavering. He is optimistic, realistic, and knowledgeable in his pursuit of representation and equality within the WGAE as well as with external corporate forces.
—Joe Danisi, WGAE Member
I have been a WGAE member for about ten years, working as a writer and producer in nonfiction TV. During this time, I have only heard from one Council member - Benjamin Rosenblum - regarding the Guild’s nonfiction campaign. Benjamin understands the urgency of advocating for workers in this sector who lack essential benefits enjoyed by other Guild members. He has actively challenged Guild leadership, demanding stronger actions against production companies and networks that exploit workers for cheaper content. Benjamin Rosenblum is a leader dedicated to fighting for all of us as we face a future with smaller budgets, tighter production schedules, and the increased use of AI. We are fortunate to have him running again.
—Benjamin Trueheart, WGAE Member
Fellow Writers and Guild Members,
I’m Benjamin Rosenblum, a recent Councilmember and writer for nonfiction television and film. My experience in leadership, culminating in last year’s strike, showed me how united and powerful our union could be, but that our full potential is being undermined by our union’s top-down governance and its abandonment of the pursuit to broaden our MBA’s coverage.
A union’s power comes from its own rank-and-file members and their ability to consciously and collectively withhold their labor. But a top-down union flips this dynamic on its head. Rather than empowering the rank-and-file and fostering their agency, it relies on short-term, top-down mechanisms—such as legal maneuvers, PR campaigns, and insider negotiations—that may deliver incremental gains but ultimately ends up serving those at the top. Over-reliance on these tactics has diminished our union’s overall strength, leaving us in a vulnerable position today.
As I explain in my candidate statement, our union’s bargaining power is shrinking because our leaders—both elected and unelected—have failed to strengthen the MBA in a meaningful way. The MBA is the foundation of our union, functioning as an industry-wide collective bargaining agreement that memorializes the gains we’ve won through strikes over the decades. Yet its cracks are widening, posing a serious threat to our future.
The MBA should provide security for all writers across every genre of film and television, from feature films and animation to comedy/variety shows and reality TV. However, the AMPTP has exploited loopholes, avoiding coverage for several key genres. This allows the conglomerates and studios to continue producing content and to generate revenue during strikes, which undermines our union’s collective bargaining power.
To address these issues, we must renew our efforts to expand MBA coverage so that all writers can strike together when necessary, maximizing our leverage to achieve even more collectively. But to do this, we need to transform our top-down union into a truly democratic, member-driven union with transparent and accountable leadership. Our union’s top-down approach only papers over the cracks with piecemeal contracts, each separated from the MBA, which ultimately divides our writers and prevents us from striking together. By doing so, the Guild fails to confront its foundational problems, which will only worsen over time.
That’s why I’m running for Council again—to help build the tangible power we all need for long-term success.
To support this transformation, I’m launching the Writers Guild Autonomous Rank-and-file Caucus (WGARC), an independent effort to create a more democratic union and to empower our membership. If you’re interested in learning more, I encourage you to reach out to me at bmrosenblum@gmail.com.
After last year’s hard-fought strike, it may be difficult to face the reality of how our union is structured. But given the state of our industry, it’s more important than ever for members to have a clear understanding of the issues we face and how we can address them together to secure a stronger future for us all.
In true solidarity,
Benjamin Rosenblum