The SWG was founded by a group of influential screenwriters, including John Howard Lawson, Samuel Ornitz, Lester Cole, Richard Collins and Dalton Trumbo, who would later become known as the "Hollywood Ten." They formed the Screen Writers Guild to represent the interests of screenwriters and negotiate work contracts with movie studios. At first, the SWG met with resistance from the studios, which were reluctant to recognize and negotiate with the union. However, after a series of strikes and demonstrations, the SWG was finally recognized as the official writers' union. The SWG began to negotiate contracts with the studios to improve the wages, working conditions and copyrights of screenwriters. Over time, the SWG gained influence and succeeded in establishing minimum standards for writers' contracts, including credits, hours, and royalties. The SWG also played an important role in fighting Hollywood's "blacklisting" during the "red scare" era of the 1940s and 1950s, when many screenwriters were accused of being communist sympathizers and were banned from working. Merger with the Authors League of America and creation of the WGAW In 1954, the Screen Writers Guild merged with the Authors League of America, a New York-based organization that represented screenwriters working in television, radio and other media. The merger brought the two organizations together under one umbrella, the Writers Guild of America, and strengthened their bargaining power against studios and producers. After the merger, the geographic divide and differences between writers working in the film industry and those working in television and other media led to the creation of two separate chapters: the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America East (WGAE). The WGAW, based in Los Angeles, is the direct heir to the Screen Writers Guild and continues to represent screenwriters working primarily in the film industry.