Can I Work For A Non-Union Basic Cable Show?

Q: Can a WGA member sell something to a non-Guild Comedy Central show and/or get staffed on one?

A: Technically, no. Working Rule #8 states that “No member shall accept employment with, nor option or sell literary material to, any person, firm or corporation who is not signatory to the applicable MBAs.”

The key phrase is “applicable MBAs”. If you’re in the WGA and you’re attempting to work for a non-Guild show in an area where we do have an MBA (and in this case, there is an MBA for Basic Cable) then you are in violation of Working Rule #8.

However, the Board of Directors has generally declined to penalize or restrain members who work for such shows if they notify the Guild and provide them with information about the show. In this way, the Guild can work to organize the show.

As such, if you are a WGA member and have been approached about writing for a non-union show on basic cable, please contact David Young in the Organizing Department at the Guild. Just going ahead and taking the job is a violation of our Working Rules and could expose you to penalties.