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UPDATE: Well, the Writers Guild Of America is not yet ready to call off its labor action against Tyler Perry Studios. Because even though everyone is confident there will be a deal, it has not been inked yet. Obviously, all those strike months negotiating against the AMPTP employers has made the WGA very cautious about getting the fine points pinned down by the lawyers before declaring any settlement has been reached. But my sources say an agreement in principal calls for Tyler Perry's two television series, House Of Payne (airing on TBS) and the upcoming Meet The Browns (the small screen version of his big screen hit) to become WGA-covered shows. This follows WGA picketing outside Perry's big new production studio as well as the considerable bad publicity for the entertainment mogul. The writer/actor/director/producer/author/playwright 
has been persona non grata in most of Hollywood after the Writers Guild filed charges of unfair labor practices with the National Labor Relations Board on October 2, accusing Perry of firing 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 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 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.
But because Perry owns 100% of his films and TV productions, he can as an indie forgo a guild agreement, But he himself is a Directos Guild member and he employs Screen Actors Guild members. Which makes Tyler Perry Studios's anti-WGA actiivty so bewildering. 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.
Which is why it took courage for SAG National Board member Anne-Marie Johnson to say this on the WGA website: 
“I realize that speaking publicly in support of the writers will jeopardize my recurring role, but Mr. Perry's firing of writers, for negotiating for fair WGA coverage, including health insurance, does not speak well for a man who claims to believe in family, pride in one's race and artistic equality. It's time he steps up to do the right thing." I understand that after I wrote about Johnson's daring to criticize Perry, he called her within minutes of my posting and left a message on her voicemail assuring her she was not jeopardizing her job.
I'm glad to see this unfortunate matter settled.
- 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
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Glad to see that producers can, in fact, do the right and ethical thing. Props to Perry for stepping up, and best wishes for his new ventures and venue.
I just have the feeling that he could have avoided the whole mess, and the expenses involved, if he had put together a reasonable contract with the writers in the first place.
Even though he’s settled and everything is sunshine and unicorns, the unions will be watching him like a hawk, and I don’t think he’ll be able to pull things off as cheaply as he did before. Folks, especially writers, may not be so willing to work for the low up front fees if they’re expecting to get screwed over on the back end, deal or no deal. He has a bad reputation now, and he has only himself to blame for it.
We’ll have to see how this all turns out in the end.
Nice to see Perry finally swallowing his pride and actually do the right thing. I would’ve thought a more severe legal action would be the turning the point, but that’s not the case.
Regardless if one is pro- or anti-union, TV writers have to be properly compensated for their work. Fair is fair.
Again, congratulations to Anna-Marie Johnson for having the courage to take a stand publicly.
I cannot praise Tyler Perry for treating his writers the way he should have done so in the first place. It is an old story for African Americans like me: sometimes other African Americans treat you worse than people of other races do. There are complex reasons for that. There is also a simple one: because they can.
At least he finally did the right thing. But I expected (well, I hoped for) better of 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, Mary J. Blige, Patti Labelle, and Gladys Knight. It would not have taken much courage to behave better – but it would have taken just enough. The next time one of them needs public support for whatever reason, he or she will deserve, and in some quarters may get, less.
Nikki, who was the fifth writer “who quit in solidarity”? Doesn’t (s)he deserve major props?
(Or maybe it’s in the articles and I just missed it.)
And is (s)he being rehired?
Congratulations to the reinstated writers, and bless you for your courage.
Props to Perry? Fuck Perry.
Props to the WGA for holding this asshole’s feet to the fire.
Maybe if the showrunners would should the same support for the flagrant abuses and non covered writers on reality and game shows, companies like Fremantle would be forced to comply as well. This abuse has been going on for years and it’s time for the ENTIRE membership fo the WGA to stand together and apply pressure to Fremantle the same way it has to Tyler Perry.
What “Wannabe Industry” didn’t want to get into is the fact that many blacks feel defeated by the cronyism and nepotism that permeates the business. They decide that only “a few of us” will be let through and so they use and mistreat their fellow black artisans in a effort to survive.
There have always been black men who have taken advantage of the plight of their own people using race to enrage blacks and leverage whites. Perry is just another one of these despicable hustlers.
That said Perry hasn’t seen the light. He’s afraid because of the negative press and the fact that his next “man in dress” film is coming out and his grosses have been steadily going down. His act is getting tired and he has run out of creative options. Hopefully, we will be gone soon enough.
I have to agree with JD on this one- his agreeing to terms doesn’t absolve him in any way from his previous behavior.
Most writers rooms remain whiter than ten lines of pure Bolivian cocaine coating the sun-bleached asslips of an Arctic snow fox.
Perry knows this, and considering the amount of success he has had (and the millions upon millions that he has made), his resistance to paying his obviously enormously talented black writers a fair and decent wage/ benefit package at the outset is simply astounding in it’s selfishness and idiocy.
His ignorance might say a little about Hollywood, but it says a LOT about him as an individual.
This will, WILL come back to bite him in the ass.
Hope you enjoyed your peak.
Props to Perry? Fuck Perry.
Props to the WGA for holding this asshole’s feet to the fire.
Comment by JD — October 17, 2008 @ 9:20 am
Ditto.
I’m a writer.
Thank you, WGA.
Look, I agree that the WGA made this happen by “holding his feet to the fire”. But in the end, he didn’t have to go union.
Yes, he would have shot himself in the foot, and yes he would have had to pay whatever price for firing writers for attempting to organize. But Georgia is a right-to-work state and he didn’t have to go union.
Whether anybody likes his product or not, the issue, from a producer’s point of view (which he is), is that it’s his prerogative. We all know it’s the right thing to do to pay people for their creative contributions. Maybe he finally got a clue and capitulated – or was forced to.
But also maybe he learned a lesson about personal responsibility for his team (by looking at it from a different point of view) and will continue to reward those creatives. Time will tell. At least for now, he did the right thing which is more than I can say for the AMPTP (you know, those “other” producers).
I say give him his due and show other indie producers that the industry respects people for making the right decisions.
I still don’t get why these writer took a job at a non-signatory in the first place? They knew there we’re no guarantees. Although I don’t buy Tyler’s reasoning for firing them was because of “the quality of there work”. He didn’t realize that until after 100 EPISODES? Although the writing was terrible let alone the poor comic timing of the actors. So I don’t know maybe it didn’t hit him hard until the 100 th episode.
These writers are greedy and broke WGA law by working at Tlyer Perry’s Studio in the first place.
Its easy to Blame Tyler but the REAL fault lies with the writers!!!
So PROPS definately belongs to Tyler.
To: “Me”
From “Writer Warrior”
Re: You’re an f-ing idiot
How can props belong to Perry? The writers who were lured to those jobs were told that TP was “in talks” with the WGA to go union. He’s told this lie from the start and this is why there has been massive turnover at the show (which has not been reported much).
Many other writers went to work there only to leave when they discovered Perry was a liar and it was a sweatshop.
So, there you go Me if that’s your real name. Props to the writers, WGA and Anne-Marie for their courage and faith.
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.
Ace: “Look, I agree that the WGA made this happen by “holding his feet to the fire”. But in the end, he didn’t have to go union.
Yes, he would have shot himself in the foot, and yes he would have had to pay whatever price for firing writers for attempting to organize. But Georgia is a right-to-work state and he didn’t have to go union.”
Wrong. You make it sound like he’d just be fined for firing those writers and move on. Sorry, that’s not the case. Even in right-to-work states, you have to allow workers to organize if they choose. You can hire non-union workers, but they wind up receiving the same benefits the union negotiates for their members.
So, regardless of what he wanted, he could very well have been forced to have a union shop where membership was non-compulsory.
Me: “These writers are greedy and broke WGA law by working at Tlyer Perry’s Studio in the first place.
Its easy to Blame Tyler but the REAL fault lies with the writers!!!”
Wrong. As Tyler Perry is an independent, he wasn’t (at the time) an employer that rule 8 was enforced on, according to WGA statements I’ve read. It was only when negotiations broke down that it was announced that union writers couldn’t work there.
I really wish the ignorant would stop spouting BS on this subject.
House of Payne(ful to watch) & Meet the Brown(horrible ghetto stereotypes) actually have writers? Both of these shows should go down as the absolute worst pieces of sh*t ever produced.