NWU Attends 29th IFJ World Congress

More than 300 delegates representing more than 450,000 journalists in 140 countries gathered in Angers, France for the 29th International Federation of Journalists World Congress, June 7-10.  It was the 90th anniversary of the founding of IFJ. There were many panels, debates and discussions about the safety of journalists, defending and extending press freedom, increasing […]

World Press Freedom Day at the UN

The National Writers Union (NWU), International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Communications Coordination Committee for the United Nations (CCCUN) and Metro NY Labor Communications Council (MNYLCC) organized a panel discussion May 3 for World Press Freedom Day. Held at the United Nations in New York City, the event explored the media’s role in supporting human rights […]

“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 […]

Accountant Shares Tips at ‘Taxes for Writers’ Event

Therese Francis, PhD, an NWU member from New Mexico, led an informative and timely session, Taxes for Writers, on January 7 in San Francisco. NWU’s Northern California Chapter and the Mechanics’ Institute Library and Chess Room co-sponsored the workshop. A writer, publisher and accountant, Francis kicked off the current tax season with the lunchtime event […]

Reading and Feeding Writers

“You’re here to help get writers read, the NWU’s here to help get writers fed.”~ NWU member September Williams Hundreds of writers, editors, and publishers met in the city for the 13th annual San Francisco Writers Conference, February 11-15. New and established writers attended workshops with well-known authors, learned about publishing options, speed-dated with agents, […]

SOME THEFT IS LEGAL

Members have told us that they’ve pitched an idea for an article, and a similar article turned up under someone else’s name. They say they wrote books about teenage vampires or nerdy supervillains, and then watched other people make millions from their plot lines. They think that copyright law should protect them. In most cases, […]

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, […]