Waiver Approved By WGA for N.A.A.C.P Awards

The writers will be allowed to work for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Image Awards due next month.

Patric M. Verrone, president of the Writers Guild of America West, announced at a news conference held on Tuesday at the headquarters of the guild in Los Angeles, that the board voted for an interim agreement in order to let writers work for the awards. He also said that there would be no picket lines, the New York Times reports. 

Verrone added that they hadn’t reached a decision regarding the Grammys and reminded that the waiver for the Academy Awards due February 24 wasn’t approved.

He explained why this move was made saying that the N.A.A.C.P. should be treated in another way due to the fact that is an organization committed to social change.

On Tuesday the organizers of the Grammy Awards started campaigning for their show due February 10.

A statement was released by The American Federation of Musicians and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, represented by 70,000 entertainers, in which they’ve asked for a waiver from the WGA, thus showing their support for the producers of the show.

The statement read: “AFM and AFTRA strongly urge all of our members to support the important work of the Recording Academy by participating in the Grammy events,” Los Angeles Times informs.

According to people close to negotiations, the WGA will rather come to a decision next week.

Neil Portnow, president and chief executive of the academy, wanted to point out that the Grammys are different than the awards granted for film and television and that they should be set apart from the dispute between writers and studios.

He said in a statement:  "Grammy Week represents the most significant worldwide music event of the year. And we are in a different industry than the motion picture and television business; I am quite certain that most are aware of the extremely difficult and challenging conditions facing our industry's creators and companies."

Still some of the Grammy nominees do have memberships in the Screen Actors Guild  due to the fact that they are acting.

The Grammys have more impact than the Globes. Is attended by 15,000 people at Staples Center and it gathers people from the music industry from around the globe.