Grievance & Contract Division: You are not alone against publishers

One of the most powerful benefits to being a member of the National Writers Union is that when you have a contract to sign or a dispute with a publisher, you get free advice from union members trained to help.

The grievance division is one of the NWU's most consistently effective areas. When a publisher fails to pay of meet any other agreed-to condition, a tap on the shoulder from a titled union advocate on your side can be a powerful force, and the threat of passing the word within an organization of thousands of professional writers is substantial leverage.

• One on One Counseling
• What's New at the Grievance and Contracts Division (GCD)
• Getting the most out of grievance and contract advice

One on One Counseling

If you feel you have been treated unfairly by a publisher, contact the grievance/contract division phone at 1-866-698-4622 or email them at: advice@nwu.org Your case will be assigned to a grievance officer who will work with you one on one.

Want to know more? Check out the grievance/contract division's national homepage.

What's new at the Grievance and Contracts Division (GCD)

Good things are happening at the Grievance and Contract Division. GOCA now has a nationwide, toll-free number. You can call this number whenever you need to ask for contract advice or grievance assistance: 1-866-698-4622 (1-866-NWU-GOCA). Those in the San Francisco Bay Area can also call locally by dialing (510) 433-7440. Of course, you can always e-mail us at advice@nwu.org.

When you call or e-mail us for advice, please be sure to include the following information: Your name; your local; contact information; and a brief summary of the situation. Both the e-mail and toll-free number are available to you, as a member, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Most requests are assigned a grievance officer or contract adviser within three (3) business days.

Some of you have been told to contact your Local instead of seeking help through the GCD. That was incorrect information and we apologize to anyone who was inconvenienced by the confusion. We encourage you to contact us directly (through the 866 number or advice@nwu.org) with your contract advice and grievance requests.

This is your union and we are here to serve you. If you have questions benefits the Grievance and Contract Division or suggestions on how we can improve our service to you, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Getting the most out of grievance and contract advice

The working relationship with your newest client isn't really working. Or, a new contract has clauses you don't understand—and, although they say they're giving you a lot, you're wondering what you would actually be giving away by signing it.

These are both classic examples of situations where the Grievance and Contract Division (GCD) can help. The GCD is a benefit of your NWU membership, and it is available to you for free, for as long as you are a member of the union.

Here are some tips for using the GCD:

1. Contact us soon
   As soon as you receive a contract or know a situation may be problematic, contact us. Since grievance officers and contract advisers are volunteers, we ask for three (3) working days to assign a person to help you.
2. Help us get in touch with you
   Let us know the best way to reach you—by phone or by email. If you use an email address with restrictive filtering, mention this when you contact us, and adjust your email system so that you can receive email from advice@nwu.org and nwugoca@aol.com. (Since you may get email from any one of about 100 grievance officers and contract advisers, simply allowing "advice@nwu.org" to email you back will not work, and initial information will usually come from nwugoca@aol.com.)
3. Provide us with your membership information
   We will usually ask for your Member ID number and/or local affiliation (e.g. San Francisco Local/Local 3). We do this to help ensure that those seeking help are truly members of the NWU.
4. Be prepared
   Be sure you have all papers, correspondence, drafts, and other relevant materials close at hand. If a series of events have led up to this situation, write out a listing of what happened on what date. You won't need to send any of this material initially, but once a grievance officer or contract adviser is assigned, they will ask you for this information.
5. Check NWU web resources
   Be sure you have read through the sample contracts and Contract/Grievance advice on the NWU web site (www.nwu.org). Please note that some of the materials on the NWU web site are password protected (as they are, like GCD help, for members only). If you do not have this password, contact the National Office East (212) 254-0279 to obtain the latest password.
6. Understand that there will be times we cannot help
   If your situation involves non-writing work only; or if an attorney is already involved; we won't be able to help. There are other situations as well that won't be appropriate for GCD assistance. We don't want to turn away people when they are desperate for help, but our mission is pretty narrowly focused: To help NWU members by advising on writing contracts and assisting with problems that arise with publishers and/or writing clients.

As always, if you have any questions - don't hesitate to ask!