In a very bad decision for authors, the US Supreme Court decided not to hear the Authors Guild (AG) appeal of the Google Book Scanning Project, terminating on April 15 a decade-long case that has struck at the heart of the publishing industry. This decision comes after two separate appeals courts ruled that Google did […]
“Standing By for Trump”
After the March 15 primaries, the three major cable news stations, Fox, CNN and MSNBC, covered every candidate’s closing remarks except Bernie Sanders. Instead, they spent about 30 minutes babbling about the night’s results while showing an empty stage and a screen banner that read, “Standing By For Trump.” By now, everybody knows that Donald […]
NWU Stands With Pakistan Media Workers and PFUJ
The National Writers Union condemns the violent March 4 attacks on both media centers and print and photo journalists in Pakistan. We especially stand in solidarity with our sister union, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), and their President Rena M. Azeem, who was hospitalized after being injured by a mob in Lahore. The […]
“Freelance Isn’t Free” Advances in the NY City Council
New York City – February 29: “The company closed, the owners took the furniture and equipment out of the office and disappeared. There was no bankruptcy, no one was notified—they simply closed…Freelancers got nothing! The total loss to 40 workers exceeds $300,000. I was owed more than $20,000.” That was a part of NWU VP […]
NWU VPs Testimony to the NY City Council
Mauricio Niebla Thank you for the opportunity to speak today about my experience as a freelancer.My name is Mauricio Niebla, I’m a writer, and as most writers, I am a freelancer. I have been a freelancer my entire professional life, for almost 30 years. I have been unpaid for jobs many times, but the most […]
NWU Statement on the Freelance Isn’t Free Act
The National Writers Union/ UAW Local 1981, supports the Freelancers Union’s Freelance Isn’t Free Act, and we urge the New York City Council to make it law. Our members, who are writers in all genres, in all media and on all platforms, are no strangers to nonpayment. We know how hard it can be to […]
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
OUR DIGITAL OUTREACH PROJECT In 2013, we identified improving internal and external digital communication as our greatest strategic need, and followed up by launching a 2-year project to upgrade our website and database. In that spirit, I’m proposing a Digital Outreach Project that will be conducted mainly through Twitter and Facebook, helping us to draw […]
Are You Covered? Healthcare Deadline is Jan. 31
For writers, finding and keeping health coverage can be a challenge. The NWU has partnered with Working America Health Care (WAHC), a collaboration of Working America and Union Plus, which are, respectively, the community affiliate and consumer benefits arm of the AFL-CIO. Visit the Working America/NWU website today to better understand your coverage options before, […]
NWU 2015 Highlights
NWU 2015 Highlights January 12-13: Talks in NYC with Zhejiang Provincial Writers Association, People’s Republic of China; March 8-10: NWU delegates attend UAW New York State Lobby Conference in Albany, NY; March 24-26: Our delegates participate in UAW Collective Bargaining Convention in Detroit, MI; May 1-3: NWU president attends PFUJ Conference in Karachi,Pakistan as part […]
Freelancers Break Laquan McDonald Story
By now, almost everyone has seen at least a piece of the Chicago police video of the cold-blooded murder of 17-year-old African-American youth Laquan McDonald. He was killed by white Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke in October, 2014, but police video of the shooting was suppressed until a court ordered its November 2015 […]
NWU is the sole provider of IFJ Press Passes to freelance journalists in the U.S.