WGA collects $11 million in payments from Nickelodeon

The Writers Guild of America, West, says it has collected $11 million in residual payments and interest for writers who work on Nickelodeon shows.

In an email to members Thursday, guild President Chris Keyser and Executive Director David Young said Nickelodeon had agreed to distribute the money owed to writers.
The guild had pursued arbitration claims against Nickelodeon alleging an “egregious, ongoing failure to pay residuals on a timely basis.” This spring, the union had demanded the company post a multimillion bond to cover future residuals on its shows.

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Since then, Viacom’s Nickelodeon has worked with the guild to resolve the dispute on all 22 shows on which residuals were owed. Nickelodeon has paid writers on these shows more than $10 million in residuals and almost $1 million in interest.

“The last of this money is now being distributed. Just as important, Nickelodeon appears to have changed its practices and is currently making efforts to pay residuals on time,’’ Keyser and Young wrote.

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“The Guild’s Legal and Residuals departments achieved this result, powerfully supported by the showrunners and writers of the 22 Nick shows,’’ they added. “Our strength as a Guild is derived from the willingness of writers to stand together to address these kinds of intolerable practices.”

A Nicklelodeon spokesperson said: “We have the utmost respect and admiration for all of our writers, and have worked very hard with the WGA over the past months to ensure all residual payments have been made. As the Guild notes, we have now completely remedied the situation, and we look forward to a continued excellent working relationship with our writers.”

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richard.verrier@latimes.com