WGA waiver for NAACP allows Image Awards show to go on as scheduled

By Olu Alemoru
The Wave Newspaper
(January 17, 2008) The 39th NAACP Image Awards are scheduled to go ahead as planned next month, after the show was given a waiver Tuesday by the West Coast board of the Writers Guild of America.

"The guild examines each request like this individually and no decision is easy," said WGA West President Patrick M. Verrone, whose union is now in the tenth week of a crippling strike against major movie and television producers. "Our ultimate goal is to resolve this strike by achieving a good contract. Because of the historic role the NAACP has played in struggles like ours, we think this decision is appropriate to jointly achieve our goals."

In recent days, the union made headlines by refusing to grant a similar waiver to the Academy Awards -- scheduled for Feb. 24 -- in the wake of the cancellation of the Golden Globes on Sunday. The Image Awards celebrate the achievements and performances of people of color in the arts and individuals and groups who promote social justice.

The announcement of the waiver was made at a press conference held at WGA headquarters in the Fairfax District. Among those in attendance were Image Awards Committee Chair Clayola Brown, executive producer Vicangelo Bullock, and WGA writers Mara Brock Akil ("Girlfriends") and Robert Eisele ("The Great Debaters").

Akil praised both parties involved. "The NAACP and the Guild have been at the forefront of hiring diverse writers and fighting for what is right," she said.

The interim agreement with the Image Awards, scheduled Feb. 14 at the Shrine Auditorium, will allow the hiring of WGA writers to script the show and means there will be no picketing of the event by striking writers. In addition, the Guild granted a waiver permitting the use of clips from motion pictures and television programs.

According to a report by NBC News, the strike, prompted by guild members’ desire for a greater share of revenue for work streamed over the Internet, is estimated to have cost the local entertainment industry more than $1 billion. This takes into consideration a combination of lost wages to cast and crew members of television and film productions and payments for services provided by caterers, prop and costume rental companies


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