NWU Organizational Structure

Members

Thousands of journalists, book authors, techical and business writers, and poets are members of the National Writers Union. As a democratic union, ultimate governing authority rests with the membership.

Local Chapters

NWU Members are organized into 17 local chapters across the country. Except for the At-Large local, each local chapter has a defined geographic jurisdiction, usually a metropolitan area or a state. Much (or most) of NWU work is carried out at the chapter level. Each chapter has an elected chair (or co-chairs), treasurer, and steering committee, plus delegates to the Delegates Assembly. All local chapter officers and activists are unpaid volunteers. Members who wish to run for elected office in the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter should email @chair.

At-large Local Chapter

Members who do not reside within the geographic jurisdiction of any of the other chapters belong to the At-Large chapter. NWU members living outside of the United States also belong to the At- Large chapter.

National Officers

At the National Level the Union is governed by 11 officers directly elected by the membership. These Officers administer the union, oversee National union staff, initiate new union activities, and implement strategies, campaigns, projects, and policies adopted by the Delegates Assembly. The President is paid a full-time salary and some other key Vice Presidents also receive a smaller salary. All other Officers are unpaid volunteers. The Officers are:

• President
• 1st Vice President
• 2nd Vice President
• Recording Secretary
• Financial Secretary-treasurer
• 3rd Vice President
• Trustees (3)
• Sergeant-at-Arms
• Guide

As we are UAW Local 1981, all NWU Officers and members are governed by the UAW Constitution.

Delegates Assembly (DA)

The DA is a bi-annual convention which meets in the summer. Delegates are elected to the assembly by the local chapter and serve a term of two years. Each chapter is allocated a number of delegates according to its size. The DA currently consists of about 120 delegates. The DA sets over-all union strategy and policy, approves the annual budget, charters new locals, nominates candidates for national office, and establishes national working bodies that carry out union activities. The DA can over-rule the Executive Officers. Delegates are unpaid volunteers.

The Delegates Assembly has established the following working bodies:

Grievance & Contract Division (GCD)

Consists of volunteer Contract Advisors who help NWU members understand and negotiate their contracts with publishers and employers, and volunteer Grievance Officers who go to bat for members who have been abused or cheated by publishers or employers.

Biz-Tech Division (Business and Technical writers)

Handles issues regarding writers who do not own copyright to their work because they are employed under contract to their clients.

Book Division

Handles issues regarding book authors who publish in American markets.

Journalism Division

Handles issues regarding freelance journalists who write articles for American newspapers and magazines.

Poetry & Fiction Committee

Handles issues regarding fiction authors and poets who publish with both large and small presses.

Diversity Committee

Committed to diversifying the union at all levels of activity and leadership and addressing the issues of writers of diverse cultural, ethnic, racial and religious heritage; writers of all sexual/gender orientations; and writers with disabilities.

Political Issues Committee (PIC)

Addresses legislative and political issues in the areas of free speech, human rights, and general labor issues.

Health & Safety Committee

Addresses issues regarding the health and safety of writers.

Elections Committee (EC)

Runs the election of national officers. If the EC determines than an officer has overstepped the constitution, bylaws, or policies adopted by the Delegates Assembly during an election, it reports its finding to the delegates.