Grammys Granted Waiver From WGA

LOS ANGELES, Calif. --

The striking Hollywood writers union said Monday it will let its members work on the Grammy Awards.

The decision by the Writers Guild of America's board of directors to grant a waiver for the Feb. 10 music industry showcase follows its move last week to withhold pickets from the ceremony to be televised live on CBS.

The union said it recognizes that professional musicians face many of the same concerns as writers when it comes to compensation for projects distributed via digital media — a central issue in ongoing talks between writers and studios.

The two sides have been talking informally since last week in an effort to resolve the nearly three-month-old strike. Formal negotiations broke down in early December.

“Professional musicians face many of the same issues that we do concerning fair compensation for the use of their work in new media. In the interest of advancing our goal of achieving a fair contract, the WGAW Board felt that this decision should be made on behalf our brothers and sisters in the American Federation of Musicians and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists,” said WGAW President Patric M. Verrone.

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