Executive Forced Out at Writers Guild West

Brian Walton, the controversial executive director of the guild that represents Hollywood television and film writers on the West Coast, has been forced out of his job after 13 years.

Directors of the Writers Guild of America West said Thursday that they voted 13 to 4, with one abstention, to begin talks to buy out Walton’s contract, which was to expire in 2002. The vote came at a meeting late Wednesday.

The action follows years of political infighting at the guild, with Walton often the lightning rod for much of the criticism.

Walton’s critics have accused him of being too monolithic and interested in preserving his power, and also have accused him of being too cozy with producers during negotiations.

Walton’s supporters counter that the London-born lawyer has fought hard for writers, has been a tough negotiator and that his accomplishments go beyond contract talks to include fighting for legislative issues, supporting artists’ rights and helping restore credits to writers blacklisted by Hollywood in the 1950s.

In a statement, Daniel Petrie Jr., president of the WGA’s western group, praised Walton, saying he transformed the guild into “an internationally recognized institution in the forefront of the fight for the creative and economic rights of writers.”

At the heart of the recent feuds has been Walton’s efforts to negotiate cooperatively with producers in order to avoid the kind of devastating writers strike that cost Hollywood about $500 million in 1988. Walton was the chief negotiator during that strike.

Walton favors discussions that begin early with producers, narrowing the range of issues to be discussed and working cooperatively to resolve contract disputes well in advance of expiration dates. He believes that writers have obtained better contracts that way, while still not giving up the leverage of a potential strike.

But a number of influential guild members have been urging a return to a more hardball-style of negotiating. Critics have said that Walton and guild leaders have failed to adequately address issues such as residuals that writers receive when their work appears on cable television or in foreign markets.

Seeking to stem growing dissent, last week guild leaders held what seemed to be an innocuous vote on the guild’s strategic direction and whether an early-termination clause in Walton’s contract would be moved back.

In reality, the vote was a referendum on Walton himself. Walton’s supporters were hoping to use the vote as evidence of support to help fend off the growing dissent. But the plan backfired when it was defeated, albeit narrowly, and became viewed as a vote of no confidence.

One major embarrassment came last year when members of the eastern faction of the guild--a separate entity that negotiates with the western group--torpedoed a contract Walton and other guild leaders endorsed. A new contract was later ratified, with promises to talk about the sticky issue of residuals.

A five-member panel will negotiate a severance deal for Walton. A search committee will be named later to find a replacement. In the meantime, four guild officials will serve as its interim management.