UPDATED with Vice statement: More than 75 current and former writers for HBO have signed a petition calling on Vice Media “to sign a strong union contract” with the WGA. The list includes several high-profile scribes including John Oliver, David Simon, Warren Leight, Tom Fontana, Eric Overmyer and Jesse Armstrong.
“This petition shows what WGA East solidarity looks like,” the guild said in a statement. “Just as our members who craft shows for HBO are expressing support for their brothers and sisters at Vice, the WGAE-represented employees in all parts of Vice (Viceland, HBO news and documentaries, the verticals) are supporting each other in the quest for a good contract. That solidarity has already brought real gains in a number of areas such as strong provisions on diversity and workplace culture, and we continue to move forward to win portable health benefits for freelance employees, fair, equitable and transparent pay provisions, and ways for members to remain engaged in workplace decision-making once the collective bargaining agreement has been negotiated.”
In a response statement today, a Vice spokesperson said: “We have been supportive of Vice union efforts from the very beginning, and have continued to negotiate in good faith. We are confident that we will reach an agreement in the near future.”
HBO and Vice have a long history, dating to their 2012 deal to develop the newsmagazine Vice, whose sixth season began in April, to the 2016 launch of the half-hour nightly newscast Vice News Tonight, the premium channel’s first daily program.
Here is the new petition and the list of HBO writers who signed it:
HBO
We are members of the Writers Guild who work, or have worked, for HBO crafting stories and producing content for film and television projects. Right now the Writers Guild is negotiating a collective bargaining agreement that would cover writers, producers, and many others who work for Vice Media – a company that has a direct and long-standing relationship with HBO.
Vice Media’s commitment to innovation has made it a major industry player. There is no better way to cultivate that innovation than to sign a strong union contract.
We, therefore, call upon Vice Media to settle a fair contract with the Writers Guild and Vice Union Bargaining Teams.
As Writers Guild members, we have protections under a collective bargaining agreement. Our fellow union members at Vice Media deserve no less.
Megan Abbott, The Deuce Jesse Armstrong, Veep; Succession Kevin Avery, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Katja Blichfield, High Maintenance Molly Boylan, Sesame Street Mitchell Burgess, The Sopranos Jess Carlton, Sesame Street Emma Carmichael, Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas Tim Carvell, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Cristine Chambers, Boardwalk Empire Geri Cole, Sesame Street Eliza Cossio, Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas Raquel D’Apice, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Stephani DeLuca, The Deuce Mariama Diallo, Random Acts of Flyness Riccardo DiLorento, Boardwalk Empire; Vinyl Bathsheba Doran, Boardwalk Empire, Demimonde Chris Duffy, Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas Anya Epstein, In Treatment; The Deuce Joe Fallon, Sesame Street Chrissy Ferraro, Sesame Street Tom Fontana, Oz Marina Franklin, Divorce Gina Gionfriddo, Boardwalk Empire Bryan Goluboff, In Treatment Josh Gondelman, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Dan Gurewitch, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Geoff Haggerty, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Hallie Haglund, Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas Amy Harris, Sex and the City; The Comeback Wes Jones, Demimonde Mitra Jouhari, High Maintenance Shaka King, Random Acts of Flyness Lawrence Konner; The Sopranos; Boardwalk Empire Howard Korder, Boardwalk Empire Raye Lankford, Sesame Street Warren Leight, In Treatment Brett C. Leonard, Hung Sam Levinson, Wizard of Lies; Euphoria Sean M. Love, Veep Lisa Lutz, The Deuce Eduardo Machado, Hung Jim Manos, The Sopranos Jeffrey Mauer, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Darius Clark Monroe, Random Acts of Flyness Itamar Moses, Boardwalk Empire Terence Nance, Random Acts of Flyness Dan O’Brien, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Isaac Oliver, High Maintenance John Oliver, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Eric Overmyer, The Wire; Boardwalk Empire; Treme Ann Packer, Demimonde Brian Parise, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver George Pelecanos, The Wire; Treme; The Deuce Naima Ramos-Chapman, Random Acts of Flyness Adam Resnick, The Larry Sanders Show;Divorce Amy Rice, The News Room Julie Rottenberg, Sex and the City; Divorce Ken Scarborough, Sesame Street Zack Schamberg, High Maintenance Johnny Scott III, Demimonde Chrissy Shackelford, Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas\ Scott Sherman, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Ben Silva, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver David Simon, The Wire; Treme; The Deuce Ben Sinclair, High Maintenance Dillon Stevenson, Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas Gary Sunshine, Hung Will Tracy, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Jill Twiss, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Seena Vali, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Belinda Ward, Sesame Street Jamund Washington, Random Acts of Flyness Bradford Winters, Oz Christopher Yakaitis, The Deuce Rafael Yglesias, Demimonde Stu Zicherman, Divorce Elisa Zuritsky, Sex and the City; Divorce
