Perry accused of unfair labor practice (NYT, VAR, DHD)

By Nancy Tartaglione-Vialatte

The WGAW yesterday said it had filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board against Tyler Perry�s production studio after it fired four writers from TBS comedy �House of Payne� who were seeking union representation.

The writers were reportedly fired this week after negotiations between the Writers Guild and reps of Perry's House of Payne, LLC broke down.

The Writers Guild of America West had been negotiating with House of Payne reps since April as the four writers - Kellie Griffin, Christopher Moore, Teri Brown-Jackson and Lamont Ferrell � were seeking a union contract because they felt they were underpaid and lacked benefits.

A WGAW statement issued yesterday said: �Despite the enormous success of House of Payne, Perry has refused to agree to a contract that would give the writers health care, pensions, and residuals. On Tuesday of this week he fired the writers, after warning them some weeks ago that they should �be careful about pushing the WGA deal or you could be replaced�.�

The four writers also were working on the development of Perry�s "Meet the Browns," a spinoff of the recent film of the same name.

Matt Johnson, a Los Angeles attorney representing Perry said the writers' firing had nothing to do with the contract negotiation but was instead related to "the quality of their work."

The writers are planning to picket this weekend at the opening of Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta.

�We�re asking all those who had planned to attend the opening of Tyler Perry�s new studio not to cross our picket line,� said Moore in the WGAW statement. �It�s very disheartening considering that this is a studio run by African Americans. What Tyler Perry is essentially saying to us is that �you�re black and there�s not a lot of opportunities for you so you�ll take what I give you� � whether it�s fair or not.�

Griffin, the show�s head writer, added, �A lot of people who fought for civil rights and social justice never really saw what eventually came out of their work. While I�d like to see something positive come out of this for us, if this fight helps future black writers get what they deserve, that�s a good thing.�

Perry has never been a member of the WGA although he is a member of the Directors Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild.

Related Links

Writer�s Guild Files Complaint Against Tyler Perry (NYT)
Tyler Perry accused of unfair labor (VAR)
Tyler Perry Fires 4 Writers For Union Activity (DHD)