TORONTO – The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) and entertainment workers union IATSE announced Monday what they called a “historic” national agreement to represent script coordinators working in the Canadian film and television industry, through all stages of production including development.
Script coordinating is an entry-level position usually held by aspiring screenwriters, often from underrepresented communities, including writers who are Black, indigenous and people of colour.
“The trend towards smaller writing rooms (also referred to as ‘mini-rooms’) has resulted in these workers handling more tasks than was previously the norm,” a press release explains. “Script coordinators are now assigned a variety of functions including creative duties in writers’ rooms like script polishes and consultations, and administrative duties like copy editing, formatting, and distributing scripts on a production.”
Under the terms of the new agreement, individuals working in the writers’ room whose duties are primarily administrative in nature will fall under IATSE’s jurisdiction. If their duties are primarily creative tasks, they will fall under the WGC’s jurisdiction. Individuals assigned both administrative and creative tasks will be represented concurrently, with IATSE representing the administrative work and the WGC representing the creative work.
Other items outlined in the agreement, which was signed in Toronto on Aug. 30, include an agreement to review fees “with a view to minimizing barriers and maximizing benefits” to script coordinators, and to collaborate on training and professional development.
“Workers are best protected when they are members of a union or guild,” said the WGC’s executive director, Victoria Shen, in the press release. “We hope this agreement will protect young writers and provide them with the benefit of union representation as they are coming up and building their careers in our industry. We’re grateful to WGC members and BIPOC TV & Film for raising their voices on this important issue.”
“Whether entry-level or otherwise, all work has value,” said John Lewis, IATSE director of Canadian affairs, “and the people performing that work deserve to have a voice. The IATSE is pleased to welcome these workers, and we are looking forward to a collaborative relationship with the WGC. Our voice is strongest when we speak together.”
IATSE represents 34,000 behind-the-scenes workers in Canada’s entertainment industry, spanning film, television, animation and live entertainment. The WGC represents 2,500 professional English-language screenwriters across Canada.
