National Writers Union, Delegates Assembly

          Probably the most interesting and aggressive area of the labor movement is the least known. On August 10-12 the National Writers Union, Local 1981, UAW, AFL- CIO held its Delegates Assembly; the local’s legislative body. It meets every three years. The Newspaper Guild, and The Writer’s Guild, represent in house salaried writers. AFGE and AFSCME fight for government salaried writers. The NWU takes on fighting for the interest and the needs of the freelance writer. These writers publish both fiction and nonfiction in magazines; books and the internet. These are usually creative works they have completed on their own. Writers are workers who are hired through agencies and publishers to create literary works. The work is hard difficult and time consuming. Without the union representation, writers would be subjected to abuse, neglect and economic exploitation.

            The pay for the average freelance writer has been cut in half, according to union local President Larry Goldbetter,” the yearly salary for a freelancer has dropped from $40,000 to $20,000.” Writers are not doing well and the need to organize has become imperative.

            The conference agenda was extensive and diverse. It began with a journalist, Cedric O’Bannon who while taking video of a Klan /Nazi protest was stabbed repeatedly by a Klan organizer. He describes not even knowing he was stabbed because he was so intent upon taking this video. He said he placed his sim card in his mouth to prevent the police from seizing the evidence. The nurse, who the journalist felt was kind, put his sim card into a small test tube. But, to no avail, the government cleaned out his hospital bedroom without a legal warrant and took the sim card. Leaving the stab wounds and the stab wounds of the other seven victims as the only demonstrative evidence left. The journalist was undaunted. He told his story with determination and courage. He even entertained questions at the end.

            The rest of the union meeting was not dreary. The union had won thousands of dollars in pay from publishers of Ebony and Heart and Soul magazines. At Ebony six writers were paid $6,700. The union was ultimately successful in winning an agreement that will pay another 43 writers $78,520. In the first two quarterly, 14 writers received $30,340, paid -in-full.  Heart and Soul paid 18 writers and editors more than $ 150.000 they were owed.

            At Latina and Latin Kitchen, owned by Solera, a private equity fund in NY, we collected more than $43,000 for 14 freelancers. The union is currently trying to get the last five writers the $7,000 they are owed. The union is in the process of collecting $42,000 from Nautilus, a science magazine, on behalf of 18 writers.

            The companies are no longer mere publications. They are large holding companies and concerns, who are worth millions and have no concern about the publications or their writers. They have little sympathy for the amount they pay their employees or their working conditions. The take their writing without giving them any remuneration.

            In their eyes, writing is looked upon as useless frittering away of time and energy. A product of the idle rich that no self-respecting corporation would reward. It is the hard, sweaty work of thousands of Bob Cratchits, who must toil endlessly for barely enough to provide a crust of bread.

            At Nautilus, the NWU has said enough! To the Huffington Post and the boycott of the internet newspaper, it has said enough! Because of the pay the writer campaign ,the National Writers Union has said, “Enough!” More importantly, the writer as working people in solidarity with all labor has fought not only for craft of writing. It has stood for the other crafts. Working Artists and the Greater Economy ,W.A.G.E, is a certification program for artist that will allow individual artists to earn a decent living wage. The certification program is designed to allow both visual and literary artists the opportunity to perform at a museum and be paid a reasonably decent salary.

            The NWU did not just stop at fair wages. A resolution was passed to fight for aid to Puerto Rico  because of the damage caused by hurricanes  Irma and Maria.  These damages were aggravated by the willful intent , abuse and neglect of the Trump administration. Another resolution was passed in support of the Poor People’s Campaign and March. Many NWU delegates were impressed  with Rev. Barber and his Moral Monday campaign. NWU delegates supported the counter march against the KKK, called for an end to racism and bigotry. They gave a moment of silence for Heather Heyer, the anti-Klan protester who lost her life fighting to end racial bigotry.

            There were good times for celebration and relaxation among the delegates. They took a stroll down Lexington Ave in East Harlem. They paid close attention to the murals. Many of them ,honored the cultural contributions of the Puerto Rican people. 

             The small entourage visited a small gallery on the corner of 103^rd Street and Lexington. A large African American male with the graffiti name “James” emblazoned on a black tea shirt, in a mean, loud but gentle voice asked whether we had an appointment after the woman who was leading our group pulled on the gallery door handle. His name was James Top. He is a famous, well renown graffiti artist. He invited us in  and we signed the book; did a quick tour and settled in for a lecture by James Top. He spoke of the early days of graffiti art. He felt graffiti was art. “The walls and trains were our canvas” he said. The New York subway was decorated with his art. He wants more recognition for graffiti art. He is not satisfied with a mere thesis paper on graffiti leading towards an MFA. He desires an MFA  program on and dedicated to graffiti art.

            From there the group ended up eating dinner , in one of the finest Mexican restaurants in town, located at 1643 Lexington Ave, El  Paso Restaurante is an excellent place to dine, especially if one desires the finest in the Mexican food. It was convenient. It was located right around the corner from where James Top held his lecture. There we ate shrimp, black beans and rice. There were also  freshly baked tacos chips ,the best I have ever eaten. Ginger Otis of the New York Daily News , editorial staff, was our speaker for the event. She spoke of the many layoffs experienced while she was a member of the staff at the Daily News. She felt it was a product of corporate greed and insensitivity.

            However, enjoying warm tasty corn tortilla chips and soft sweet guacamole wasn’t the most important event. The keynote speaker for the Delegates Assembly was Julia Salazar, candidate for the New York State Assembly. She said her journey into politics occurred because of a landlord tenant dispute. The place they lived was uninhabitable. As a result ,they decided upon a rent strike. The tenants choose her to lead it. She was at the time only a law school student but as a person who was from NYC and whose parents were immigrants she led a rent strike and was able after two months of withholding rent able to bring the landlord to negotiate and make improvements. From there she began to argue and advocate change in housing in the Brooklyn community. The NWU is asking everyone in her district to support her and any other Democratic Socialist of America candidates who have spoken out for change.