The National Writers Union Landslide

A striking election victory by the opposition slate has pulled the National Writers Union (NWU) back from the brink. After the trauma of a painfully divisive NWU Delegates Assembly in September ( Z Magazine , December 2003), veteran activists resigned their volunteer posts in locals across the country, membership plunged, and many felt the NWU was about to implode. Strangely, the national leadership team of President Marybeth Menaker insisted that things had never been rosier. 

Out of frustration, the dissidents decided to run a slate. There had been contested elections before, says Sue Davis, incoming 2nd Vice President, but never a united slate. Called Working4Writers (W4W), they won by 2 to 1 in every post they sought. 

Barbara Mende, a Boston activist on the winning ticket, describes the victory: “From the comments I’ve heard, we were saying what people wanted to hear—that they’d have a voice in how the union was run. I was delightfully surprised that so many people cared so much. Many of our candidates had recognition because we worked directly with members on grievances and contracts.” 

The new 3rd Vice-President, Pamela Vossenas, feels that W4W won friends with their promises of “open respectful debate,” in contrast to the menacing environment the incumbents fostered in the face of opposing ideas, including “intimidating threats of libel.” In addition, the publication on the dissident website (www.yourunion news.com) of  a piece by Jeff Perry revealing the betrayal of the National Writers Union by past President Tasini and his UAW allies shocked the membership. 

Menaker’s campaign relied on “celebrity” endorsements and personal attacks by allies on the W4W candidates. In contrast, W4W candidates, all of whom are working writers, wrote their own statements. Vossenas explains: “We ran a clean campaign, taking a stand on issues reflecting the members’ concerns. Many of us have held multiple volunteer leadership roles over the years and have a proven track record.” 

The president-elect, Jerry Col- by, is looking forward to meeting with UAW officials in mid-January. “I’ll be focusing on the issue of member-ratification of the bylaws and dues increase. It’s not going to work without member support.” The imposition of changes in these two areas was a point of great contention at the Delegates Assembly and Colby is particularly concerned about the dues leap for low-income writers. Colby also wants the UAW to hear from more than just the NWU president, as has been the case for years. “Our job right now is to end this [Presidential] choke-hold on dialogue. We’re going to be opening the channels between all the elected officers in our union and the UAW.” 

Sue Davis lists the new Administration’s priorities: “Health care, long-term financial planning, member benefits, and member education around contracts and grievances. We also want to organize book authors in major publishing houses in the interest of collective bargaining.” 

The incoming financial secretary-treasurer Tom Gradel knows this won’t be easy. “Our diverse membership is spread out geographically and by genre. For example, if you have an event that attracts fiction writers, you won’t get the medical writers. It’s hard for leaders to get a feel for what the members think.” 

Trustee-elect, Rick O’Keefe, is committed to a raised level of transparent monitoring to ensure that “the books are in order, that the union is put on a business-like functioning, and that officers perform their required duties.”