Heston and WGA

On Aug. 25 The Times published a letter from Charlton Heston containing the inaccurate assertion that the Writers Guild strike of 1988 “collapsed” within weeks of a Supreme Court decision ruling upon the dues required from workers who elect “financial core non-membership” status instead of membership in a union.

The Writers Guild strike did not “collapse.” The court’s Beck (vs. Communications Workers of America) decision had no impact on the Writers Guild strike. The strike came to a conclusion when the guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers negotiated an agreement that both sides could accept.

It was regrettable that it took as long as it did, but neither the Beck decision nor the public statements of 21 dissident union members caused the strike to end. If anything, the dissent of that group and the false promise of a breach in Writers Guild solidarity lengthened the strike, instead of shortening it.

The overwhelming majority of writers stayed united through 22 weeks, despite the local media jumping on the story of 21 writers, out of 6500, threatening to quit.

Heston’s anti-union biases are well known and he is entitled to them. But he does neither his cause nor the truth any service by attempting to rewrite history.

GEORGE KIRGO

President,

Writers Guild of America, west