Today was the last day for most of the 120 staffers on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” who left with an early Christmas bonus check and no guarantee of a job when the strike ended. [An NBC source puts the number at "just under 100."]
“Do we have a job when the strike ends? That’s what everyone keeps asking,” said one former staffer. “They’ve guaranteed no one a job. They just keep saying, ‘The letter explains it.”
That letter is a notice from NBC’s human resources department that says, “If your services are needed, we will contact you.”
Sources said that while some higher-level executives received severance packages, other staffers received only Leno’s traditional bonus of $100 times the number of years the staffer has been on the show.
Writers were not included in the bonuses, but one writer emphasized that “he's not being Scrooge. He just wanted to get the staff taken care of first. I can't emphasize enough how generous Jay is.”
Others were less forgiving.
“We haven’t heard from him since the second or third day of the strike,” said a former Leno staffer. “He called on speakerphone while we were in our daily meeting and said, ‘Don’t look for other jobs, no one’s going to lose their house, we’ll get though this.’ Two weeks ago, we got the heads up that we had two more weeks (of pay) and that’s it. Everyone wondered, ‘Is Jay going to come through?’ And nothing happened. Conan makes less and he said, ‘I’m going to pay for my people.’ ”
Still on the payroll are the exec producers and a skeleton crew to answer phones. Leno was not on hand for the layoffs. Instead, Leno’s assistant notified the staff yesterday that they would get their Christmas bonus early. Leno's bonuses usually go out the week before Christmas.
"People are devastated today because we thought that he meant something more than an early Christmas bonus," another said. "A lot of people didn't look for other work, based on Jay's assurances."
UPDATE: Insiders confirm that the staff of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" were formally laid off by NBC today as well; the show's employees received similar letters to the ones sent to "Tonight Show" staffers. Like "Tonight Show's" team, "Late Night" employees are officially laid off effective Friday. But as has been reported previously, O'Brien will continue to pay "Late Night" staffers himself. But because they're no longer officially employed by NBC, they won't be reporting to the "Late Night" offices come Monday.
Late Friday afternoon, a spokesperson delivered this statement:
NBC regretfully informed the people who work on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Conan O’Brien that their services are not needed at this time due to our inability to continue production of the shows.
-- Dave McNary and Dana Harris
This is another case of union busting. Unions are busting the banks of companies nationwide from their demands for free healthcare and pensions. Try working in the real world, planning your own retirement because Social Security won't be there and not relying on the company as the company doesn't care a whit if you make it or not. Try paying a portion of your health care costs, along with the co-pays and drug costs. Look at the car makers and what the unions did to them and the cost of cars today. Same thing.
Posted by: Fred | November 30, 2007 at 01:51 PM
MikeA is right on. 120 on staff. 120 union members on staff. I'm sure not all are writers. Typical union... Do as little as possible for as much money and benefits as possible.
Posted by: Steve O | November 30, 2007 at 01:52 PM
This is a bad day for writers. The strike is not a sign of strength, but the opposite. Everybody can be replaced. Remember PATCO? Folks should tell the union bosses to stop the strike and go back to work - then negotiate. There are lots of writers out there who would be delighted to have these Guild gigs. This may be the moment for independents out there.
Posted by: dan | November 30, 2007 at 01:52 PM
Well, well! A big Hollywood liberal finally turns on his very own?! A labor union?! Ha! Ha! Ha! I love how these people finally "get it" when their lives are being effected. Typical lib! Well, as far as I'm concerned, that's one less crooked union to deal with. Good job, Jay!
Posted by: Matt | November 30, 2007 at 01:53 PM
Umm, Davenp35, Unions used to have a purpose, today they do nothing but artificially inflate wage, try to get people paid for not working, drive business out of the country and destroy uS industries (ie auto, airline etc.)
COntrary to what you may think the MAJORITY of the workers in the US are NOT employed through unions and the majority of the population gets by just fine without you.
More people lose jobs thanks to unions than without them.
Posted by: Billy Woody | November 30, 2007 at 01:53 PM
Cruel. To fire people right before Christmas... and give them a bonus of $100. Jay is such an asshole. Wow.
Posted by: Banor | November 30, 2007 at 01:54 PM
Leno is West Coast and Letterman is East Coast, therefore, Letterman is a Douchebag!
Posted by: Sharpecho | November 30, 2007 at 01:54 PM
...Davenp35 is also RIGHT. If you're not getting paid what you deserve, then go find another job. Welcome to America!
Posted by: jkkout | November 30, 2007 at 01:55 PM
Workers of the world unite! What a bunch of crap. See where it gets you. The interesting thing is that Letterman and the rest can't do a show without writers. I wonder if their left-wing opinions are their own...or is it a character written for them?
"Bush is a dummy" Look mom, I'm a hollyweird writer!
Posted by: MikeC | November 30, 2007 at 01:56 PM
Why is Jay Leno taking shots for giving cash bonuses to the staff?
He is not the one who called strike.
The millionaire writers should be the ones writing bonus checks to the staff. The staff will lose their homes and go into debt so that the writers can make more money.
Posted by: Hollywood Hypocrsy | November 30, 2007 at 01:56 PM