WGA chiefs: 'There are no shortcuts in this deal'

WGA West prexy Patric Verrone and WGA East prexy Michael Winship have outlined the Worldwide Pants deal in a message just sent to members.

Guild stewards are calling it a "full and binding agreement" despite its "interim" tag, and they assert that "Worldwide Pants has accepted the very same proposals that the Guild was prepared to present to the media conglomerates when they walked out of negotiations on December 7." They also squarely aim to up the ante on the other latenight talkers who are going back next week without writers by pressuring SAG members to eschew the other talk shows in favor of Worldwide Pants' "Late Show" and "The Late Late Show."

Here's Variety's story on the deal.

Here's the full letter from Verrone and Winship:

To Our Fellow Members,

We are writing to let you know that have reached a contract with David Letterman's Worldwide Pants production company that puts his show and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson back on the air with Guild writers. This agreement is a positive step forward in our effort to reach an industry-wide contract. While we know that these deals put only a small number of writers back to work, three strategic imperatives have led us to conclude that this deal, and similar potential deals, are beneficial to our overall negotiating efforts.

First, the AMPTP has not yet been a productive avenue for an agreement. As a result, we are seeking deals with individual signatories. The Worldwide Pants deal is the first. We hope it will encourage other companies, especially large employers, to seek and reach agreements with us.  Companies who have a WGA deal and Guild writers will have a clear advantage.  Companies that do not will increasingly find themselves at a competitive disadvantage.  Indeed, such a disadvantage could cost competing networks tens of millions in refunds to advertisers.

Second, this is a full and binding agreement. Worldwide Pants is agreeing to the full MBA, including the new media proposals we have been unable to make progress on at the big bargaining table. This demonstrates the integrity and affordability of our proposals.  There are no shortcuts in this deal. Worldwide Pants has accepted the very same proposals that the Guild was prepared to present to the media conglomerates when they walked out of negotiations on December 7.

Finally, while our preference is an industry-wide deal, we will take partial steps if those will lead to the complete deal.  We regret that all of us cannot yet return to work.  We especially regret that other late night writers cannot return to work along with the Worldwide Pants employees.  But the conclusion of your leadership is that getting some writers back to work under the Guild’s proposed terms speeds up the return to work of all writers.

Side-by-side with this agreement, and any others that we reach, are our ongoing strike strategies.  In the case of late-night shows, our strike pressure will be intense and essential in directing political and SAG-member guests to Letterman and Ferguson rather than to struck talk shows.  At this time, picket lines at venues such as NBC (both Burbank and Rockefeller Center), The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and the Golden Globes are essential.  Outreach to advertisers and investors will intensify in the days ahead and writers will continue to develop new media content itself to advance our position.

We must continue to push on all fronts to remind the conglomerates each and every day that we are committed to a fair deal for writers and the industry.

Best,
Michael Winship
President, Writers Guild of America, East

Patric M. Verrone

President, Writers Guild of America, West

Comments

[Diane Chavez]

I don't know who the lobby firm for Writers Guild is..but they don't seem to understand basic negotiations. No one in the State or the country has a vested interest in settling this unless they are brought into the fold. A couple of weeks ago, we had three Presidental Cantidates here in LA all Dem.s I think all of them would have been happy to have sat down with the WGA, Gov. Unions, Studios..etc. but they weren't asked. Why isn't anyone going out into the greater bus. community and bringing in leadership to help them bring the other vested groups into the fold. LA, CA is loosing millions in revenues in so many industries but no one is leading the bus charge at least not one that the media is picking up.

I have been able to reach millions of Americans for issues in education, healthcare, civil rights...but there has to be a coalition builder that is out there spreading your message and making the public feel that the impact to them will be massive in more ways than just loosing bad TV shows.

[RCM]

You might as will kiss the strike “Goodbye”, once the Union allows “Any” writers to return via a separate agreement.

I.E… Allowing writers to work on the “Late Night Shows”

Once upon a time…

There was a strong “Carpenter’s Union”. They went on strike for an extra 75cents an hour.

They were on strike for a few weeks, when one contractor (producer) found out that he was going to be billed for not having his job finished on time.

So, he went to the Union and said, “I will pay Tuesday for a hamburger today.”
OK, he asked, “If you let my carpenters work today, “I will pay them the future per hour rate, after the Union settles the strike.”

The Union said, “That sounds fair”, and let the carpenters go back to work.

Now the other contractors (producers) heard of this, so they went to the Union and each made separate deals. Each saying, “I will pay Tuesday for a hamburger today.”

The Union agreed. What’s the harm letting a few workers go back to work?

Amazingly, the Union discovered, “Hey, where are the striking carpenters?!”

Well, “They’re out on the job sites.”

“How come?”

“We agreed to let one crew go back, now they’re all back to work.”

“But, we Never settled!”

“Precisely.”

[Bill]

Hi RCM! You tell great fairy tales, I bet you're a super dad. Here's the only problem with your little story that you're posting everywhere -- Dave's writers are being paid under the terms of the new agreement NOW, not when the strike is settled. If other conmpanies want the same deal, the WGA will be more than happy to accomodate them. So your cute little story has no bearing on anything. But keep posting it everywhere. And I'll keep posting this follow-up everywhere.

Anyway, good night RCM!

[Bill]

And Diane -- does your education agenda include being able to spell "loosing" properly? Your post is borderline unintelligible. To whom are you reaching out? What's your point? And why are you posting this everywhere?

[The public is with you]

Our great union leaders are standing in the cold protecting our interest. They have inspired our signs and our songs. We will put an end to the freelance writer. The capitalists have oppressed us long enough. They have surpassed our wildest dreams with their daring. They have swung the public to our side. The man in the street knows our plight and sympathizes with our cause. Now, if someone will get their camera phone out we will put this on youtube and show those capitalists that we mean business

[Bill]

Hi "The Public is With you." What a great screen name! Definitely better than your other screen name, Jack, and two words better than "concerned public." I also love the game you're playing -- the exaggeration game! I can play it to, watch: You sure are spot on with your definition of "capitalism." You know what the best capitalism is? Well, since you seem to think capitalism is all about companies being allowed to do anything they want, the best capitalism would be... a monarchy! Wouldn't that be nifty? We could make Les Moonves, Jeff Zucker, Brad Grey et al kings! Give them crowns and everything! That way, they could REALLY do whatever they wanted -- take away health care, eliminate weekends off, the whole nine yards! They could give whips to their minions and any creative talent who dares to ask for a fair deal would just get an ass-whipping! After all, companies should be allowed to do whatever they want, am I right? Come on, "The public is with you," doesn't that sound great? Write me back and let me know ASAP! Looking forward to your next ironic screen name -- how about "human being"? That would be a gasser!

[Jack]

Come on Bill. You are a writer. The best you can do is a monarchy. How about dictator. Be Flash Gordon not Flash in the pan. Be sure to let me know how you liked my moses and also the tire union

[Mr. Capitalist]

Hey Bill, good job at the exaggeration game! A corporate monarchy is a monopoly and is far removed from a capitalistic environment where competition between corporate entities forces companies to be competitive -- usually by offering health care, decent wages, good working hours, etc. to attract the best talent. The problem here with both the AMPTP and the WGA is two entities acting in monopolistic ways to create uniform benefits for all represented companies. Wouldn't it be better if the studios actually had to compete with each other by offering increasingly competitive incentives to get the best people? The union could still be the umbrella organization receiving percentages and managing contracts, health benefits, pension, etc. but the notion that everyone be artificially forced into being treated identically is the real failing in a capitalistic system.

[Bill]

Hey Mr. Capitalist --

Where do you work, Pittsburgh? here in Hollywood, the union guarantees minimums so that the corporate "monarchies" can't pay ten dollars for a script. There's plenty of competition between studios for talent. You thought Johnny New-Writer gets paid the same as Seth Rogan or Paul Haggis? Which business school did you go to? And does Mrs. Capitalist know her husband changed his name from Mr. Shill?

[Bill]

"Be Flash Gordon not Flash in the pan."

Oy.