French Law Favoring Publishers Repealed

The French government earlier this year repealed a terrible law giving the country’s publishers the “right” to issue or license new editions of “out of print” books and pocket the revenues. The law, which was overturned last June, allowed print publishers to profit from these newly issued digital editions, regardless of the availability of previous versions of […]

NWU Endorses U.S. Copyright Reform Bills

The NWU has endorsed two bipartisan proposals introduced in the current Congress for reform of U.S. copyright law. Neither of these proposed laws would adequately address the fundamental problems for writers with current copyright law, but each of them would be a step in the right direction.  One of these bills, H.R. 3495, would create […]

Growing Coalition of Writers Renews Call for Reform of Copyright Registration

Back in January of 2017, the National Writers Union was joined by three other national organizations of writers in a variety of genres, media, and formats –– the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA), Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), and Horror Writers Association (HWA) — in a formal Petition for Rulemaking asking […]

NWU Welcomes Guangzhou Cultural Delegation to NYC

On November 17, NWU hosted six members from a Guangzhou Chinese Cultural Delegation in New York City.  The delegation included Wu Dongsheng, Liu Shengqing and Li Xueli from the Guangzhou Federataion of Literary and Art Circles, Goa Heping from the Federation of Trade Unions of Guangzhou, Fang Tu, Dean of the Guangzhou Art Academy and […]

Brothers of Another Union

Yusef Salaam, Co-Chairman of the NYC Steering Committee of the  National Writers Union, and Andy Schwartz, Recording Vice President  of the Associated Musicians of Greater New York, pose for a meet and greet photo at the November 2nd Jewish Labor Committee’s 2017 Human Rights Award Dinner at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel.   Dennis Williams, […]

Rally to Support Writers Fired at DNAinfo and Gothamist

NEW YORK, NY (November 6, 2017) – “We come not to mourn, but to organize.” That’s how Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) Executive Director, Lowell Peterson kicked off today’s rally in support of DNAinfo and Gothamist writers who were fired after voting to join the union. Right-wing billionaire-owner Joe Ricketts announced that he was shutting down […]

Ebony Freelancers and NWU Get to Know Each Other

On November 1, lawyers for NWU and the Ebony Media Organization finally met in a Cook County courtroom. At issue is the $80,000 owed to the 48 freelancers who are being represented by their union. The following night, about a dozen Ebony freelancers and some NWU reps met and got to know each other at […]

Workplace Safety in a Hotter Climate

Smoke from Canadian wildfires choked the air in Whatcom County on July 31, the day Honesto Silva Ibarra collapsed at a Bellingham clinic after working in the blueberry fields at Sarbanand Farms in Sumas. A week later, he died at Harborview Medical Center. In the middle of a heat wave, a supervisor allegedly ignored his […]