Screenwriters have a good union and are paid pretty well for movies that get made. Not star money, and usually not director money, but more than just about any

Screenwriters have a good union and are paid pretty well for movies that get made. Not star money, and usually not director money, but more than just about any other roles. Their residuals can also be substantial for a successful show/movie. They also have very prominent credits, second only to the director (notice it's the second to last in opening credits or second if it's closing credits). Their biggest issue is all the unpaid work they get asked to do. They can do months and even years of work without any compensation with projects that aren't really moving forward.