An AMPTP open letter to the entertainment industry

Not much new here, but the AMPTP does single out three of the six WGA proposals that, according to the AMPTP, have to be taken off the table for negotiations to resume.

Those are areas are jurisdiction over reality and animation, as well as sympathy strikes.

Translation: Take this away and we'll negotiate on new media.

So far, the WGA has shown little interest in this approach -- partly because it has indicated that the AMPTP's mew-media offers aren't close to being acceptable.

Full release after the jump.

-- Dave McNary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 21, 2007

Attached and below please find an Open Letter to the Entertainment Industry released today by the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers.

THE STATE OF THE STRIKE: DAY 47

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY FROM THE AMPTP

The strike called by the WGA is fast approaching the two-month mark, and already tens of thousands of workers who have no stake in this dispute are either out of work or facing grim prospects in the New Year. The WGA's organizers are indeed making good on their promise that they would wreak "havoc" on our industry. As a result, the traditionally festive holiday season for our business has instead been shrouded by uncertainty and concern for the future.

In the midst of the hourly drumbeat of news about the WGA's strike, it is important that we all take a step back and review exactly how our industry reached the situation we now face on the eve of the holidays. First, it is important to remember that the WGA called the strike and asked writers to walk out on November 5th. They had the right to do so, but no right to avoid responsibility for the consequences. Second, the negotiations between the AMPTP and the WGA are at an impasse because the WGA has continued to press a series of unreasonable demands that have nothing to do with new media and the real concerns of most working writers.

These WGA-constructed roadblocks to progress include:

Reality Television

The WGA seeks to obtain blanket jurisdiction over reality programs through its top-down organizing tactics, and thereby deprive these employees of their free choice to elect union coverage under the voting system administered by the National Labor Relations Board. The AMPTP has asked the WGA to withdraw this demand.

Animation

The WGA seeks to obtain, once again by top-down organizing tactics, jurisdiction over animation writers who traditionally fall under IATSE's jurisdiction, and to deprive those writers of their free choice to elect union coverage under the voting system administered by the National Labor Relations Board. The AMPTP has asked the WGA to withdraw this demand.

Sympathy Strikes

The WGA seeks the right to go on strike, at any time, in support of another labor organization's strike, and thereby disrupt production whenever they want. Any agreement reached must assure uninterrupted labor peace during the term of the agreement.

In short, our report to you on the State of the Strike is really very simple: The WGA's insistence on these jurisdictional and other unrealistic demands is preventing us from reaching a deal that is fair and reasonable to both sides. And nothing in the WGA's new grab-bag of tactics - a hodgepodge of continued street demonstrations, baseless NLRB complaints, and ephemeral interim agreements with individual companies - is going to change this situation. Until those in charge at the WGA decide to focus on the core financial issues that working writers care most about, instead of the unreasonable
jurisdictional demands that only people who run unions care about, we do not see that there is any basis for reaching an agreement.

As we all reflect on this situation over the holiday week, we can all hold hope that when the New Year dawns so too will the realization by the WGA that the best interests of working writers are not served by allowing extraneous demands to block progress on fundamental, bread-and-butter issues that are surely at the heart of working writers' concerns.

Comments

[b!X]

"Sympathy Strikes"

In other words, the AMPTP reserves the right as corporations to gang up on unions, but unions as labor organizations must be denied the right to gang up on the AMPTP.

[nope]

we already played this game with the DVD issue.

[seriously?]

Seems odd they would keep pounding the one word that David Young used in week one of the strike "havoc" when the AMPTP has really been the one creating havoc by refusing to negotiate until the WGA negotiates with itself. Everyone knows the WGA isn't on strike over reality, animation or even sympathy striking. We're on strike for fair pay on re-use of our work, which means fair accounting (distributor's gross, not producer' gross), fair compensation (a small percentage of revenue on new media) and fair coverage (produced work for the internet should be union work).

In truth, not getting these things would mean the end of our union, and that's the real havoc the AMPTP is looking to create. They know they can't crush the DGA and SAG (too many big players) but they can try to get rid of us.

All these open letters never address the core issue: why isn't he AMPTP back at the table. If they truly don't want these items in a new contract, negotiate them out. I am shocked no one in power hasn't pointed this out. Come back to the table, sit in a room and hammer out a deal. Last time I checked, the WGA was doing everything in it's power to get the AMPTP back to the table. Why does the AMPTP frame them as the bad guys for trying?

[Animation Writer]

The AMPTP says the Guild wants "to deprive those [animation] writers of their free choice to elect union coverage under the voting system administered by the National Labor Relations Board".

If there was a fair vote to choose which union's jurisdiction animation writers would fall under, the vote would go to the WGA in a landslide. If the studios agreed -- in writing -- to abide by the results of a vote, the WGA would take that off the table in a heartbeat. But everyone know that the studios would never let that happen.

If the studios want to prove us wrong, they should submit the framework for a vote and be legally bound to the outcome. Otherwise, they should stop acting like they are looking out for our best interests.

[nope]

let's play Monopoly instead

[A viewer]

They should take 3-6 issues off the table in exchange for a promise of movement on new media? Isn't that what the AMPTP promised if they took DVDs off the table? Since the AMPTP offered nothing in exchage for the DVDs, I can imagine that the WGA doesn't really think they can trust this promse.

[Nick Jenkins]

Interestingly, someone has compiled a list of non-signatory production companies. In other words, non-union writers can submit their scripts to these companies during the strike. This could be the only upside to the strike, for unestablished writers:

http://www.ideaprovince.com/2007/12/list-of-non-str.html

[notinterestedanymore]

I hope the strike goes on for several years so that everyone feels the pain and hopefully maybe families will learn to live without tv and movies. good luck finding jobs....

[Bill]

Thanks, notinterestedanytmore! 10,000 hardworking, flesh and blood writers super-appreciate snide comments like "good-luck finding jobs." You're a peach!