CBS Pays Writers Guild $3 Million for Contract Violations

The Writers Guild of America West has reached a settlement with CBS that will see the network pay $3.05 million to 24 writers on “MacGyver,” “SEAL Team” and “Hawaii Five-0” for violations of the guild’s mutual bargaining agreement.

“Guild members providing writing services on these series were required to continue working even though the studio had declared the rooms closed and stopped making weekly compensation and benefit contribution payments to the impacted writers,” read a memo from guild president Meredith Stiehm, vice president Michele Mulroney and secretary-treasurer Betsy Thomas.

The WGA determined that this was a violation, as staff writers and Article 14 writers, who are writers with positions of story editor and higher, “should receive weekly pay and benefit contributions for each week they provide writing services as outlined in the MBA.”