Lowell Peterson

Lowell Peterson is executive director of the Writers Guild of America, East, the 4,000-member labor union representing writers in television, motion pictures, radio, and new media – people who create drama, comedy, news, and more. As executive director, Peterson is involved in negotiating contracts; developing and implementing comprehensive labor campaigns, including congressional and government campaigns, and managing the Guild’s staff responsible for all aspects of organizing, membership mobilization and retention, and contract enforcement.

A consummate labor lawyer and leader, Peterson most recently was partner at the firm Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, where he practiced in the areas of labor, ERISA, bankruptcy and litigation. He represented the AFL-CIO, UAW, Communications Workers of America, the Newspaper Guild, NABET, and Laborers, among others. He won tens of millions of dollars in severance pay representing laid off workers in the Enron and WorldCom bankruptcies, defended unions’ right to organize and to publicize disputes, and successfully litigated against employers for evading contract obligations. Peterson was Mayor Pro Tem of the City of Ann Arbor, Michigan and also a three-term member of the Ann Arbor City Council.

Peterson received his bachelor’s degree from Yale University and his JD from the University of Michigan Law School where he graduated Magna Cum Laude.