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Back on October 6th, I reported that the WGA and Tyler Perry were reaching a settlement in principal. Today it’s official: Tyler Perry Studios will become a signatory to the WGA contract. Sadly, the news release (below) does indicate that “some of the writers” writers fired from Perry’s two television series, House Of Payne and the upcoming Meet The Browns “will not be returning”. Is that by choice? Or by Perry edict? I’ve asked the WGA to explain this.
This follows considerable bad publicity for the entertainment mogul. The writer/actor/director/producer/author/playwright 
has been persona non grata after the Writers Guild filed charges of unfair labor practices with the National Labor Relations Board on October 2, accusing Perry of axing more than half his writing staff on the TBS sitcom House Of Payne because of their union activity, and bargaining in bad faith with the Hollywood guild. Dozens upon dozens of the biggest producer, writer and showrunner names in scripted television even went so far as to sign an open letter bashing him for his anti-WGA activity. And good thing Barack Obama declined Perry’s invitation to the grand opening of his Tyler Perry Studios production facility in Atlanta this month. Had he not, the Democrat endorsed by many labor unions would have been met by picket lines thrown up by the Writers Guild of America and supported by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. (Perry is one of the Democratic presidential candidate’s staunchest supporters and prized campaigners and even forthcoming film biographer…)
What had gone on for the past six months inside Perry’s production company was kept secret by the WGA until the guild filed unfair labor practice charges with the NLRB, alleging that House of Payne unlawfully fired four writers in retaliation for their union activity. (A fifth writer quit in solidarity.) The charge also accused Perry’s company of bargaining in bad faith with the guild, which had been seeking to negotiate a contract covering the writers on Perry’s cable television series House of Payne and upcoming Meet the Browns. The four fired scribes, Kellie Griffin, Christopher Moore, Teri Brown-Jackson, and Lamont Ferrell, are all African Americans and together have written over 100 episodes.
During the dispute, a lawyer for Perry tried to claim that the writers’ firings had nothing to do with contract negotiations but were related solely to “the quality of their work”. But the firings came just as House Of Payne was being syndicated which is when the big money starts to roll in, and just when the writers were working on Perry’s new comedy premiering in January on TBS. Perry’s lawyer admitted that one sticking point with the WGA had been residuals from repeats shown on broadcast TV stations. Those residuals are vital to the financial security of showbiz writers even though a pittance to the producers. Perry also refused to agree to a WGA contract giving the writers health care benefits or pensions. Perry fired the writers after warning them some weeks ago that they should “be careful about pushing the WGA deal or you could be replaced,” according to one of the axed scribes.
Because Perry owns 100% of his films and TV productions, he can as an indie forgo a guild agreement. This month the WGA told guild members that, “under Working Rule 8, members of the Writers Guild of America, West may not accept employment with any non-signatory entity, including Tyler Perry studios and all of its related entities. The guild intends to fully enforce this important policy.” At the same time, the WGA picketed outside the gala party at Tyler Perry Studios, a 60,000-square-foot production complex on 28 acres on the outskirts of Atlanta featuring a 300-seat screening room, three sound stages, and a theater. I and other media outlets publicized the names of those who crossed the picket line to attend, including many of them members of the Screen Actors Guild: Will Smith, Oprah Winfrey, Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Cicely Tyson, Louis Gossett Jr, Holly Robinson Peete, Tracey Edmonds, music mogul L.A. Reid, singer John Legend, baseball legends Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds. Also, Mary J. Blige, Patti Labelle and Gladys Knight who all performed.
I’m glad to see this unfortunate matter settled. Here is today’s press release:
Atlanta, GA (November 26, 2008) — Tyler Perry Studios and the Writers Guild of America, West today announced that they have come to an agreement following more than five months of negotiations. Vic Bulluck, executive director of the NAACP Hollywood Bureau, was instrumental in bringing the two parties together.
“We are pleased to have come to a resolution with the WGA, and thank the NAACP for their support during negotiations. We look forward to many years working with the talented writers who are members of the Guild.” stated Tyler Perry. “With a continued focus on fostering young, diverse talent, we are eager to continue our dialogue with the WGA to dramatically increase the number of minority writers working in Hollywood today.”
“At a time when true independent producers like Mr. Perry are rare in this business, we congratulate him on his success and welcome his decision to become signatory to a WGA contract,” said Writers Guild of America, West President Patric M. Verrone. “I also would like to thank Ben Jealous, NAACP national president and CEO, Vic Bulluck, executive director NAACP Hollywood Bureau, and Clayola Brown, national president of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, for their help during this negotiation.”
“The NAACP is a staunch advocate for workers rights and for nearly one hundred years has fought for greater minority representation and inclusion in Hollywood. We applaud Tyler Perry’s efforts to not only promote, but to also provide work for people of color in the entertainment industry,” stated Benjamin Jealous, president and CEO of the NAACP. Adding, “We recognize the unique and important influence writers have in our society. The NAACP will continue to work with the WGA to make sure their rights are protected and that all the networks and studios provide greater opportunity for minority writers.”
The contract with the WGA was the last union agreement outstanding for Tyler Perry Studios, which had previously brokered deals with the Teamsters, IATSE, SAG, DGA, and others. Acknowledging that some of the writers on the TBS series House of Payne and Meet the Browns will not be returning, Perry thanked them for their services and wished them well in their future endeavors.
Matt Johnson of Ziffrren, Brittenham negotiated the deal for Tyler Perry Studios.
Tyler Perry Studios is 100% financed by Tyler Perry in an entrepreneurial endeavor, and is not backed by a studio or other investors. The studio produces both Meet the Browns and House of Payne, as well as several feature films a year including the upcoming Madea Goes to Jail. Perry recently announced the formation of another production arm, 34th Street Films, which will develop projects written and directed by talent other than Perry under the Tyler Perry brand.
- Tyler Perry And WGA Talk Settlement
- One Of Tyler Perry’s Union Actors Confronts Him
- Photos: WGA Pickets Tyler Perry Studios
- TV Showrunners Tell Tyler Perry: Firings For WGA Activity “Simply Not Acceptable”
- WGA vs Tyler Perry Productions, Contd
- Tyler Perry’s Alleged Role As Union Buster Becoming Big Obama Embarrassment?
- Tyler Perry Fires 4 Writers For Union Activity; Perry’s New Studio Picketed
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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While I think it’s smart of Perry to try to expand his own personal brand with 34th Street Films, I think he may have missed the right moment because of his feud with his writers.
This is because no filmmaker will really trust him to do the right thing by them, considering it took the WGA and the NAACP to get a settlement that should have been standard operating procedure. This could prevent him from forging the relationships he needs to be a viable independent producer without a major conglomerate backing him.
Plus, the unions are still going to watch him like a hawk and pounce on him over the slightest dispute.
He had a chance to break the bad business model of Hollywood, and I think he blew it.
You will notice there’s no statement from him (Perry) because he did it against his will. He doesn’t want to pay writers anything but slave wages and he will do what he can wo subvert whatever deal he made. Furious D is Right. He blew it.
When are black people going to wake up and stop allowing pimps like Perry, Jackson, Sharpton and others to steal their faith and hard-earned money?
We say we want equality and yet we’ve made a millionaire out of this buffoon and all the other cross-dressing black actors who dip into the pool of “minstrelosity” when their careers flounder.
Obama’s in the White House.
Can we please stop this shit?
I think that list of people who crossed the picket line says alot about the people who endorse “change”.
I love how everyone praises this guy now. “What an amazing dude!” Yeah, after the WGA, NAACP and the media had to shame him into doing the right thing. What a joke. When his fifteen minutes of fame are up (oh, and they will be, they will be) his actions will be remembered, and he will no doubt find that they come back to haunt him. Oh, and btw, he has absolutely no talent. That part will haunt him too! Paging MC Hammer…
All I know is that Tyler Perry’s name is mud to many in Hollywood’s black community. For various reasons including his treatment of his fellow blacks and his making a fortune off his glorified Step N Fetchit routine. Going WGA is a penny short and a day late.
I think you guys have it wrong. It’s not black or white…IT’S GREEN! Was Berry Gordy an amazingly generous owner with his artists because he was black? “no filmmaker will really trust him to do the right thing by them”… THAT’S WHAT AN AGENT IS FOR! People know the deal they will get before hand. If you don’t like it, don’t work with him. But people will! He has not blown anything. People need to work, and it’s a buyers market…does not matter if it’s scripts or autos.
If you are a sleazy producer color and race doesn’t matter.
Although I applaud the WGA for applying the pressure needed to convince Tyler to do the right thing, I think it’s reprehensible that they allowed him to do so without hiring back the four writers who turned the spotlight on his actions. The guild should have made their jobs part of the deal, or no deal. Three of those four writers are WGA members and the guild should have stood by them first and foremost. Obviously, their not coming back is revenge by Perry for blowing the whistle. So now he looks like the good guy, the WGA can brag about how they forced him to sign a deal, and the three WGA writers, plus one more non-WGA member who got fired, can enjoy the holidays in the unemployment line. That’s what they get for standing up for themselves.
As a side note, the situation with Perry resolved quickly because the entire membership of the WGA, especially the showrunners who signed the letter of outrage, got behind this cause. If only the same would happen with reality and game shows the companies would be forced to treat their writers fairly, too.
Although I’ve never been in favor of the way Tyler Perry treats his employees or his fairly low class tv programs, I do believe that he is not the only one at fault here.
After all, WGA members violated working rule 8 for two years (200 episodes) by working for a company that was not a signatory to the WGA. In other words, WGA members enabled Tyler Perry by violating their own contract. Yes, some of them were fired by Tyler Perry. But, they got paid for two years and 200 episodes.
Certainly, no one should feel pity for Tyler Perry. But, equally, no one should feel sorry for the fired WGA members. Thousands of WGA members put their careers, their livelihoods, their homes on the line during the strike. But, Tyler Perry’s writers chose to violate the WGA contract. Then, they got fired. And now they are whining? We should feel pity for them?
If this event causes producers to feel more inclined to give jobs to writers who happen to be black, I hope they consider the talented writers who have been staunch supporters of the WGA first rather than Tyler Perry cast offs.
Perry, Sharpton and Jackson – What!!!!!
Endorse change???
Why is this a Black issue and not just an employer/employee dispute.
Outside of the players being Black, I see this dispute as an issue of money and not race.
Two lessons can be learned here: first, that unions will never allow someone to deviate from their accepted norm; and second, if you do somehow manage to find some sort of success after deviating from that norm, they’ll destroy you.
The WGA members that wrote for Perry violated their owns rules, but there won’t be any real penalties for them because they’re already paying union dues, which is why the WGA got involved in the first place. To protect their “rights.” Perry’s mistake was hiring them, regardless of their talent or quality. Go up against a union and you lose, eventually. And now with the likelihood of the so-called “Employee Free Choice Act” which is anything but, you can bet unions will be coming to a local farm, factory, retail store, or even place of business near you… and you won’t be able to stop it. They’ll take your money, through dues or service fees, and those costs in higher labor and medical bills will be passed on to the consumer.
This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but a whimper. — T.S. Eliot
“no filmmaker will really trust him to do the right thing by them”… THAT’S WHAT AN AGENT IS FOR! People know the deal they will get before hand
I think you just made my point.
Perry’s secret is keeping his costs low, as an independent, he has to. People who go to work for the major studios know some sort of a screw job is coming, which is why everyone’s agent asks for as much up-front money as possible.
Now Perry will have to start paying bigger money up front, even bigger for people with experience, and while he may be successful, he doesn’t have a big multinational conglomerate backing him up. The profit margins on his films will start to shrink, and then disappear. Something he could have avoided if he just worked out a reasonable profit share deal with his writers.
I guess the moral of the story is, being cheap can cost you big in the long run.
I love that press release “greater opportunity” What!
How about more black characters on TV then just one new fool. As for Tyler, you’re proof the hip hop moguls are right. You’re grinding fool singin’ dollar dollar bill instead of making a true legacy.
Respect the writer.
Never cared for TP and his work. But I did have respect for his so-called “hustle,” and the distance he’s come almost entirely of his own accord.
However, that respect I once had for him has taken a beating. This just makes him look like any other unattractively greedy mogul. I actually thought he really cared about creating some kind of an inspiring legacy – one very few black entertainers have achieved. But I don’t quite believe it anymore.
What goes around comes around TP.
The notion that people in Hollywood are motivated by money and don’t consider race is one of the biggest lies ever told. It allows people to be biased and cover their actions by saying it’s just business.
If you exploit black writers who are weak and unemployed because of the biases in the system, your goal may be to make money but it does not mean your actions are not racist.
Perry’s exploitation of the four black writers was a textbook racist act. His (Perry’s) race does not excuse him.
And like all poverty pimps he called in the NAACP, effectively playing the race card to hold off the Guild and cut a better deal.
A perfect end to a sleazy affair.
Few realize that Tyler Perry would be a nothing without producer/casting director Reuben Cannon’s believe in his material (and his loyal following). Cannon brought Perry into the limelight and has produced evey movie Perry’s done. I just hope he hasn’t gotten as screwed as Perry’s four former employees. Perry — Cannon is the wind beneath your heavy, cheap-ass wings — pay the people who have lifted you up!!!
Anyone who helped this minstrel become prominent is just as guilty as he is. I have black friends in the business who complain all the time about bias. How can anyone take you seriously when it’s 2008 and you worship a buffoon in drag?
No one went to see “The Great Debaters” or “Talk to Me” but they support this trash? I don’t get it and don’t want to.
And as for this Reuben Canon, he’s just Amos to Perry’s Andy.
‘Nuff said.
I love all the posters who gasp in surprise and say it’s not about race. Of course it’s not about race — it never is when the person in question, the person who’s guilty of something, is black.
That’s the point of a double-standard.
“After all, WGA members violated working rule 8 for two years (200 episodes) by working for a company that was not a signatory to the WGA.”
“The WGA members that wrote for Perry violated their owns rules…”
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzt…oh, so sorry…that’s wrong. If you read through the article above, you’ll see that Tyler Perry’s studios were previously considered independent and able to operate without a WGA agreement. That means it was OK to work for them until the WGA announced (during their dispute with Perry) that he was now to be included under rule 8.
Oh, and they haven’t done 200 episodes. No sitcom does 100 episodes a season.
“Although I applaud the WGA for applying the pressure needed to convince Tyler to do the right thing, I think it’s reprehensible that they allowed him to do so without hiring back the four writers who turned the spotlight on his actions.”
Would you want to go back into that hostile environment? It wouldn’t surprise me if there was some sort of (unannounced) settlement that the writers received. At the least, I’m pretty sure they’ll wind up getting residuals for their work that winds up on broadcast TV.
Bears repeating:
YOU MADE MONEY IN DRESSES AND PUMPS.
BUT THEN YOU PLAYED WRITERS LIKE CHUMPS.
YOUR LIES THEY ALL TRUSTED.
YOUR CHEAP ASS GOT COLD BUSTED.
NOW PAY UP, YOU CROSS-DRESSING HUMP.
For the record, it has been reported elsewhere that there actually was some sort of settlement given to the 4 fired writers. Wondering if the writer that quit in solidarity got their job back or was part of the settlement, though.
The Two Perrys.
From IMDB Bio:
STEPIN FETCHIT was the stage name of LINCOLN THEODORE MONROE ANDREW PERRY. While he was undoubtedly one of the most talented physical comedians ever to do his shtick on the Big Screen, his characterization as a lazy, slow-witted, jive-talkin’ “coon” offended African Americans and still offends African Americans in the 21st Century. What rankles so badly is that audiences swallowed Perry’s Stepin Fetchit act whole, as a true representation of a “Negro.”
The stereotype existed long before Perry decided to adopt it. However, he was such a hit with audiences that his Stepin Fetchit persona popularized the “Coon” image to an unprecedented degree in the medium of film, and many stereotypical black movie characters, including the child Stymie in the “Our Gang” comedy series, were based upon Stepin Fetchit to cash in on his popularity.
“Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.”
I love all the posters who gasp in surprise and say it’s not about race. Of course it’s not about race — it never is when the person in question, the person who’s guilty of something, is black.
That’s the point of a double-standard.
Comment by Paul — November 29, 2008 @ 7:37 am
Paul, while I doubt if it’s possible, could you explain your statement? Or is this just another sour grapes pathetic statement by some ignorant homunculus who obviously hates a group of people based on their race.
“e” What “Paul” means is when a black person does something bad it’s never because of any condition arising from his/her culture. Because that is politically incorrect.
However, when white people do evil, they are evil ass white people. The majority having all the spoils, they can take the racist implication while blacks cannot.
This notion of course is racist itself. The assumption is that blacks cannot be accountable for their mistakes because they don’t have the requisite intelligence or force of will to do anything that hasn’t been programed into them by white men.
By the way, Paul would have answered but I thought I’d do it since someone robbed me to pay him today.
Peter
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081204/ap_en_mo/people_tyler_perry_lawsuit