To the surprise of few, Charles Holland has stepped down as President of the Writers Guild of America, West. Holland was elected Vice-President in our last election and ascended to the presidency when it was determined that the elected President, Victoria Riskin, was ineligible for the job. Daniel Petrie, Jr. was named Vice-President when Holland moved up and now Petrie will be Prez as we head into what looks to be a very nasty contract negotiation.
Holland came under fire when it was charged that he has told numerous lies about his past, including claiming military service and some football honors that never occurred. Fibbing about your past is not actually against the WGA Constitution but a pretty loud group of Holland's detractors circulated e-mails and demanded that he do the "honorable thing" and step down. The premise here was that in the coming battle, it would not do to have the WGA led by someone so controversial. From a practical standpoint, that's probably true…but there is something unbecoming all around. There is a due process for removing someone from office and this ain't it.
Petrie is a good choice as he has unquestioned credentials as a writer (most famous credit: Beverly Hills Cop and its sequel) and he has been President before, so he knows the territory. The Board will probably appoint someone equally credible — like Frank Pierson or John Wells — to be the new Veep.
I still think the WGA is facing a down-and-dirty round of bargaining which could lead to either a long, destructive strike or a short, destructive collapse. Most folks in Hollywood think it's time for the "talent unions" (the Directors Guild, the Screen Actors Guild and us) to get a larger share of DVD revenues…but SAG recently settled without getting into that issue, and the DGA never sets precedents that help other unions. So the WGA is out there fighting this battle on its own at a time when the economy is not good. And it's going to be bloody.