The New York Times-20080129-Grammys in Deal to Get Writers

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Grammys in Deal to Get Writers

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Striking film and television writers agreed on Monday to an interim arrangement with the producers of next month's Grammy Awards that would allow the program to be written by members of the writers guild, the union said.

The announcement provided additional assurance that the show would not be disrupted by the strike that has paralyzed production of films and television shows and wreaked havoc on the Golden Globes ceremony.

Last week, the union said it had decided not to picket the Grammy ceremony, to be Feb. 10 in Los Angeles, effectively ending the music industry's worries over the possible absence of celebrities who would be unwilling to cross picket lines.

The writers' decision not to picket followed a move by two music unions to rally to the defense of the Grammy program. Patric M. Verrone, president of the Writers Guild of America West, acknowledged the music unions in a statement Monday and added, Professional musicians face many of the same issues that we do concerning fair compensation for the use of their work in new media.