According to a story on deadline.com, soap opera writers are being encouraged by producers to request waivers from the Writers Guild of America to take pay cuts. WGA sources say that Y&R and B&B are the soaps the guild has received the most complaints about. The story reads: "The guild’s contract requires a show’s soap writers to be given one assignment a week, but writers can ask for a waiver to cut back on the workload if they have a legitimate reason, such as illness or a family emergency. Some crafty producers, however, allegedly have been gaming the system by bullying less-favored writers into asking the guild for waivers to reduce their assignments by one or more a month, even though they actually want to continue working full time. Sources say that some writers have been forced to give up a script or two a month so that an actor or a line producer can write a show or so a new writer can be brought in at no extra cost.” For the full scoop, click: here.
BACKSTAGE DRAMA FOR SOAP WRITERS
