Writers' Strike, Week Five: Marching orders

With negotiations resuming Tuesday, the WGAs East and West haves announced key member activities for the strike's fifth week.

MONDAY
Members of the WGA West Board and/or negotiating committee to be at all studios for all shifts. There's also a picket line party for singles at Paramount Studios' Bronson Gate.

TUESDAY
WGA East will begin picketing NewsCorp. (Sixth Avenue and 48th Street) "to call attention to the fact the NewsCorp-owned MySpace TV being in town this week listening to pitches for new shows for its website."

WEDNESDAY
Diversity Picketing Day at Paramount, hosted by the WGA Black Writers Committee.
In New York, the picketers returns to Rockefeller Plaza and NBC.

THURSDAY
Paramount contract captains will collect items to send care packages to armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In New York, the guild pickets HBO (Sixth Avenue, between 42nd and 43rd Streets) for the first time.

FRIDAY
There's a rally from noon to 2 pm at FremantleMedia North America, 4000 W. Alameda Blvd. in Burbank.

-- Dave McNary

Comments

[Disgusted]

Getting difficult to take this strike seriously when they keep treating the picket line like it is some kind of a mixer. I mean really, a "picket line party for singles."?!?! Are you striking or just trying to meet new people. I am sick and tired of being told day in and day out that this is a very serious matter for everyone in this business and then see the WGA flaunt celebrities at their picket lines, say that they feel like rock stars, and of course the newest one, have a singles picket. Well I hope you all meet the love of your life.

[Andrew]

I understand your frustration, "Disgusted," but I think the intention of these themed pickets is to create variety and maintain morale amongst the strikers.

These poor people have been picketing 4 hours a day most days of the week, fearing for their professional futures. So maybe you should cut them some slack. If you're a below-the-line person who has been laid-off, your anger is misdirected and should be targeted squarely at those arrogant AMPTP morons. They are responsible for any and all job-losses, the writers are not.

[Equally Disgusted]

"poor people have been picketing 4 hours a day"?! Wow, I can't imagine anybody working that hard! No wonder morale is low. Maybe a cushy job doing road construction for 8 hours every day for a living would be a nice change. And "arrogant AMPTP morons"? Talk about anger. Disgusted brought up a valid point regarding this posh boutique strike. I don't follow a lot of strikes, but maybe I'm wrong and the Teamsters were holding "gay gate" and "party for singles" gatherings too on their last strike.

[ed]

Andrew, how do you figure the "AMPTP morons" are responsible for any and all job-losses? They (the studios represented) are the ones responsible for all the *jobs*. They are called employers. Job losses are a direct result of productions shutting down which has come as a direct result of writers striking. When they stop striking, hopefully everyone goes back to work. It is OK to support the writers, but don't misrepresent the cause and effect.

And, while "a picket line party for singles" might seem a little over the top, I think if I were doing the walking, I'd also want to find some way to have some fun with it.

[Andrew]

"Equally disgusted"... that's 4 hours a day with zero pay. Road construction workers are getting paid for those 8 hours and they can get a different job if they so desire. They can even become writers if they think it's so easy. You think me calling the AMPTP morons is me being angry? Not even close. It's fact. Moronic means stupid and if they believe the WGA will cave in because of their transparent and cruel negotiating tactics, then they really are stupid, i.e. morons.

"Ed"... The AMPTP can end the strike anytime they want and get all these people back to work. The writers would obviously not like to spend the next 20 years working for an insanely low share, therefore they don't have much choice other than to strike. The job losses are an unfortunate side-effect of the writer's wielding the only weapon they have -- stoppage -- and no writer feels good about it. Face facts: the AMPTP is prolonging this strike to cut costs and make bigger profits. If you blame the writer's for a boom operator, say, losing his job then you are playing into the AMPTP's tactics and helping these greedy CEOs make millions more.

[ed]

The fact that the AMPTP could capitulate to the demands of the WGA and end the strike does not equate to the AMPTP causing the loss of jobs. Yes, greed is behind this whole situation, on both sides. Once the WGA fired the first shot, the evil corporations began cutting costs -- which can translate into bigger profits or limiting losses of a prolonged strike. It is ridiculous though to label the writers as besieged with an insanely low share. They are well paid and still exist as employees to the corporation (be it under contract or whatever employment agreement they are operating under). The evil corporations take the majority of the risks and reap the rewards while still paying a lot of people a lot of money to do their jobs. Everybody is trying to get more money, while a lot of people head for unenployment lines.

And, AMPTP being morons as a fact seems rather silly given your presumption that they are only in it for the money (for which I concur) and are "prolonging the strike to cut costs and make bigger profits." Seems then that the AMPTP is brilliant and the WGA is playing right into their hands. So, it would appear that you have your facts wrong.

[Lisa]

Andrew, you talk about "cruel" negotiating tactics, but in reality it's the WGA that's being cruel. These spoiled brats aren't even thinking of the families laid off because of their selfishness (and right at Christmas too!).

Oh, those poor people picketing 4 hours a day...watch my tears fall. GMAB! Get back to work morons!

"and no writer feels good about it"

BS! Collateral damage is what unions do best! And if you believe they give a d@mn about a family losing their income at Christmas then you're brainwashed!

"therefore they don't have much choice other than to strike."

WRONG! How about getting back to work? IMO, anyone who walks off a job has forfeited that job. All these strikers should be the ones to lose their homes, NOT the support staff at the shows.

I have NO sympathy for a bunch of immature blowhards who think walking off the job & causing innocent families hardship is a viable option.

[Lisa]

I heard one person say that a union strike is legalized blackmail & extortion. I'd also add that a strike is holding a company and it's other employers hostage.

[Andrew]

Ed, you seem like a conservative guy who loves corporations and capitalism at the expense of artists. Has the WGA made mistakes in the negotiation process? Yes. Do they have good intentions? Absolutely. They had no choice but to strike. If your boss threatened a pay-cut tomorrow, would you be cool with that while they boast about making billions?

Lisa, you sound like someone whose family is being personally affected in a terrible way by an unfortunate situation. If I'm right, I wish you the best and hope you make it through okay. Sadly though, the stress is clouding your judgment about who is to blame. The WGA haven't handed out a single pink slip, only the billionaires have. The writers are simply trying to protect their livelihood. If that goes, so does everyone else's job... as you well know. Also, if you really believe these writers are spoiled brats making lots of money, then you don't know a thing about the average screenwriter.

[ed]

If my boss was threatening a pay-cut tomorrow while the company was making billions, I would reevaluate my job. Indeed, over the years I have left jobs that I felt were too low in pay. All jobs have an inherent value. If I am not valued at a company, or I am in a career that probably won't meet my salary desires, I need to reevaluate that company or career. Or do I insist that the people I work with lose their jobs until my demands are met?

If a writer is unhappy with a job, be it pay, hours, working conditions, etc., (quoting from you) "they can get a different job if they so desire. They can even become [executives] if they think it's so easy." There are undoubtedly thousands of writers that would love a chance to work on a show. But those new writers may not be as good as the previous ones, hence the shows suffer, profits suffer. Corporations follow the money. Good writers should be better compensated than poorer ones. The "artist" should be fairly paid, just as everyone on the production should.

My problem here is the selfishness exhibited by the WGA. "Do they have good intentions?" What is a good intention?!? This is a situation of greed vs. greed. Do the ends justify the means? "They had no choice but to strike." Absurd. Sound bites to help salve your conscience about the people without a job. And regarding your comment to Lisa about the average screenwriter, other posts in the blog have pointed out that the average screenwriter makes over $200,000 a year. The median according to the WGA is over $106,000. Personally, I don't have a problem with writers making this or even much, much more, but your comments make the writers seem to be a beleagured bunch of underpaid slaves, which they are not. And the silly comments about the WGA not handing out any pink slips is ridiculous. Pink slips are a reaction to an action. That action is the WGA refusing to work.