Well, the writers strike may be long over but that doesn’t mean there aren’t disgruntled TV writers out there. Playwright/screenwriter/actor/director/producer Tyler Perry’s production company is in hot water as the WGA West has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board against House of Payne LLC, on behalf of four writers on Perry’s TBS TV series House of Payne.
Variety reported the news stating that the guild alleges that Perry fired four writers on the TBS series as well as the upcoming Meet the Browns (spinoff of the play and film) this week as retaliation for them trying to negotiate a WGAW contract for the writers on the show. Perry’s attorney denies the accusation, saying the real reason the writers were let go was due to the quality of their work. Three of the four writers fired were WGA members. Perry’s also being accused of “negotiating in bad faith” with the guild over the last six months.
It’s interesting that Perry would have problems with writers, considering he’s a writer himself and is likely to be sympathetic to their cause. I’m sure both House of Payne and the spinoff both have other writers on staff, so I wonder how, if at all, the suit will directly affect either series. If anything, the press could draw more attention to the series.
