The strike is over. The WGA contract has been ratified. SAG and AFTRA are now center stage and there is still a lot of work to do before the town gets back to normal. At this moment it's useful to look back at our own history. There are lessons to be learned about how the process can move forward even against what seem like overwhelming odds.
There are many who labored behind the scenes to support the writers' strike. At United Hollywood we worked with people who put their energy on the line but wanted to stay off the media's radar. Not content to just talk a good game, these are members and supporters who knew that if they wanted to make a difference, they had to work at it.
One group in particular came of age during the early part of the strike: the writer-directors. Nicknamed the WD-40, forty writer-directors met to search for ways they could help facilitate the negotiation.
From the beginning of the strike, most journalists accepted the AMPTP's lead and described the DGA and WGA as antagonistic to one another. Nicholas Counter was frequently quoted in the trades as preferring the DGA as a negotiating partner. The writer-directors objected to that characterization and felt that the AMPTP was doing what it always did in positioning the Guilds against one another to diminish each union's power.
There were many issues discussed during a first meeting in early December, chief among them the fact that the WGA and DGA share 1,400 members. That struck everyone as a surprisingly large number. The group realized that they were uniquely qualified to speak to both Guilds, since they are the embodiment of the two unions' shared interests.
The objective of the group was to promote closer ties between the WGA and DGA. That effort took many forms. First and foremost, a letter was drafted during the meeting that announced the solidarity of the signatories in their support of the WGA's demands. It was decided that everyone in the room would call 10 writer-directors and ask them to add their names to the letter. Within 24 hours, the letter had been signed by over 375 members. The letter was hand-delivered to the DGA leadership by four of the group. The delegation then met with Patric Verrone, David Young, and John Bowman. At the same time, hundreds of phone calls were made to fellow DGA members, explaining the strike issues, arguing the importance of the internet for the future of all the Hollywood unions.
The hyphenates also walked the picket lines, their signs proclaiming themselves as "Writers-and-Directors". Hyphenates picketed in New York and Los Angeles, participating in video interviews that were posted on Voices4Action! In those interviews they spoke eloquently about the creative values shared by writers and directors. They explained that the strike issues were important to both groups. And, most importantly, movies and television shows cannot exist without the collaboration of both.
Contrary to the press' characterization of Guild antagonism, just before the holiday break, Michael Apted, the President of the DGA, issued a letter to the DGA membership, acknowledging with respect that the WGA was a "sister guild," not an adversary.
The significance of hyphenates is becoming increasing clear as Hollywood looks to exploit the opportunities of New Media. Already we can see that the internet is a place where hyphenates are the order of the day. Writer-Directors. Actor-Directors. Actor-Writers. Writer-Director-Actors. Looking to the future, the writer-directors who came together at that first meeting will become an important voice in the next contract negotiation. In three years their numbers will be even larger.
SAG, AFTRA, and the AMPTP will sit down soon and negotiate their new contract. Ultimately, a deal will be worked out, but as with the writers, the actors have to resolve their differences and find common ground with one another so they can face the companies with one voice. We can only hope that there are players like the writer-directors who are working quietly, behind-the-scenes to forge a consensus and move the negotiation to a speedy resolution.
3/07/2008
An Appreciation of the Writer-Director Hyphenates
2/26/2008
The SAG Negotiations: Why George Clooney, Tom Hanks and Others May Have Exercised a Faulty Strategy
I like George Clooney and I like Tom Hanks. Who doesn't? From their screen personas to their amiable chats with David Letterman. They seem like nice guys and appear committed to good works and deeds, from Clooney's work on behalf of Sudanese refugees to Hanks' paying homage to our military veterans.
However, I'm concerned about their outspoken efforts to head off a SAG strike. Not because it would obviously be preferable to avoid a work stoppage so soon after the three and a half-month WGA industrial action, but because what they appear to be doing works against the very potential for which the Screen Actors Guild was originally created.
It's all well and good to make statements of a general kind regarding the need for the conflicting parties (the AMPTP and SAG) to be bargaining at the negotiating table, but the methods these well-intentioned actors have employed seem to be of a hurrying design that, by their very nature, take the air out of the balloon of solidarity and play right into the hands of the AMPTP.
2/25/2008
The End of Hollywood Accounting?
Will 1+1 someday = 2?
The WGA, the Teamsters and California State Senator Sheila Kuehl have just announced the introduction of the "Fair Market Value Bill." The bill seeks to prevent studios from selling programming to sister companies for below market value. This particular strain of Hollywood accounting is designed to shift profits away from the studios (where they must be shared with talent and producers and serve as a basis for pension and health contributions) to networks, where they may be enjoyed without the pesky need to pay one's "partners."
Press release below. We'll have more soon on the bill in particular and Hollywood skulduggery in general.
And if you're a studio accountant or lawyer looking to go all Michael Clayton on the Big Six, send us a tip or a post.
NEW BILL TAKES AIM AT HOLLYWOOD ACCOUNTING
California State Senator Sheila Kuehl Introduces Bill to End the Practice of Selling Television Series and Films for Less Than Fair Market Value
Los Angeles and Sacramento – California State Senator Sheila Kuehl (D-Los Angeles) has introduced Senate Bill 1765, the "Fair Market Value Bill," to end the practice by some major studios and networks of “underselling” television series or movies.
Since the major media networks in the United States have come to own many cable channels, the practice of selling TV series or movies for less than the fair market value of the content has become more and more prevalent. In many cases, the product is sold or licensed from one entity to another entity within the same parent company. This creates a problem for actors, writers, and performers who rely on the amount of a sale of material for their residuals – payments made to the creators or performers of a work for showings or screenings after an initial use. Other union members in the entertainment industry, including the Teamsters, also rely on the amount of a sale price to determine contributions to their health and pension funds.
"As a SAG member I care deeply that creative talent is treated fairly and that all workers in the entertainment industry receive the compensation they deserve," said State Senator Sheila
Kuehl (D- Los Angeles). "Many of my constituents work within the entertainment industry, and I have recently heard more and more about the growing practice of selling entertainment content, such as television series or films, for less than their fair market value. This practice has a deeply detrimental effect on the amount of compensation for creative talent like writers and actors. But the damage goes further because so-called below-the-line staff, like the Teamsters, rely on the proceeds from such a sale of content to fund their health and pension plans. This bill simply ensures that workers in the entertainment industry have the protection they need."
"The WGA West wholeheartedly supports this bill and we applaud Senator Kuehl for authoring it," said Patric M. Verrone, president of the Writers Guild of America, West. "This important piece of legislation will help ensure reliable accounting among the major Hollywood studios so that creative talent and all entertainment employees that rely on residuals will be fairly compensated for the contributions they make to the industry. The WGA is excited about the bill, and we look forward to involving our members in the process of educating elected leaders about the need for it."
In the last few years, there have been many high profile court cases on this issue. Creative talent from TV series, such as The X-Files, Will & Grace, and Home Improvement, among others, have filed suit to prevent the practice of selling television programs from one network to another for less than fair market value.
The bill is coauthored by State Senators Darrell Steinberg and Carole Migden and Assembly Members Fiona Ma and Sandre Swanson. The bill is supported by International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Writers Guild of America, West. Each union represents workers in the entertainment industry, and each union negotiates for compensation derived from the sale of television programs and films.
The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) represents writers in the motion picture, broadcast, cable, and new media industries in both entertainment and news. For more information, please visit: www.wga.org.
2/20/2008
Some Helpful Information
As the Industry Support Fund and The Actors Fund (which administers the ISF) continue to help industry workers who lost income and health care coverage during the strike, we offer this helpful post from freelance journalist and United Hollywood lover Becca Bryan. -TES
DON'T GET CAUGHT WITH YOUR PANTS DOWN! THE ACTORS FUND IS THERE FOR EVERYONE.
by Becca Bryan
As someone who has lost a few jobs in the last couple of years, I can attest to being too proud to call my parents or friends for help. There is something about being an adult and a professional that prevents us from asking anyone for help when we need it. You are lucky to employed in the entertainment industry. There is help for you.
I took advantage during a recent trip to LA to interview Keith McNut, Director-Western Region for The Actors Fund My reason for doing this is the concern for the still out of work production staffs of many films and TV shows. During our conversation, Mr. McNut brought up some very important pieces of information which I thought you might need to know.
The Actors Fund is anticipating another 3-6 months of assisting members of the entertainment industry affected by the now ended Writers Strike. Everyone in the entertainment industry, union and non-union, is eligible to receive assistance from The Actors Fund. And they give grants, not loans, so you don't have to pay them back, thank God. They also provide job placement assistance for positions both inside the entertainment industry and beyond.
Even if you think you may not meet their eligibility requirements, CALL ANYWAY. You have nothing to lose and could possibly gain some needed financial or job placement help.
As health insurance renewal time is near, it is critical to NOT LET YOUR INSURANCE LAPSE. I can attest to the devastating shock when I got my COBRA Letter. My COBRA coverage was more than my car payment and half the amount of my rent. Not able to afford it, I went without. But I live in Florida, not California, where a pre-existing medical condition can rule you out to a new insurer. The Actors Fund can help with COBRA payments. These people find it hard to say no. And damn they are nice.
To get help, you begin by scheduling a call with the Intake Counselor. The call takes about an hour and you'll need to have the following information:
1. The Actors Fund application (call and they can snail mail it to you)
2. Resume (or playbill, letter from employer, some proof that you worked in the entertainment industry)
3. Monthly Budget Form (found on their website)
4. Proof of earnings in the entertainment industry (one or all)
- Union earnings printout
- Union, network, studio contracts
- W-2
6. Rent/Mortgage Statement: Lease, Current Bill, Canceled Checks, Money orders, Mortgage/Maintenance Bill
7. Bills: Water, Electricity, Cell, Cable/Sat, Landline Phone, etc.
8. Bank Statement: Checking, Savings or other
9. Documentation of Medical Condition: This is especially important if you have a pre-existing medical condition for which a new insurer could reject you.
What else? The Actors Fund has taken 700 calls (30-50/day) from Jan 1-Feb 15 which is when this interview was conducted. Of those, 320 reached out and received assistance. The remainder either found other work, received help somewhere else or will hopefully complete the intake process.
The Fund has given a total of $470,354.96 since the strike began. 57% of the recipients were below the line (production assistants, gaffers, craft services, staff accountants as examples), 38% were performers (singers, dancers, actors) and 5% were writers.
Three of the Actors Fund's biggest donors are: Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS ($150,000), the Writers Guild of America ($80,000) and George Clooney ($25,000).
For those readers not in the industry, please donate what you can. You can do it online, by phone or snail mail. The Actors Fund and other industry-related relief funds can use the help. No they aren’t broke. But hey, every little bit helps. Pitch in.
Phone Numbers: 800-221-7303 (Nationwide) or 323-933-9244, Ext. 55 (CA) Website: www.actorsfund.org (applicant documents can be found here)
2/09/2008
Thoughts and Thanks from SAG Board Member Justine Bateman
To the WGA membership,
As you prepare to examine the proposed deal points and assemble for your meeting tonight, if the decision is made to continue striking, I will see you on the lines Monday. If you decide to recommend the deal to the membership at large for a vote and it is ratified, I stand beside you. Either way, I wanted you to know some things:
I want to thank you.
For sticking your finger in the dike and not allowing greed to smother all content creators.
For striking when you did and not allowing massive stockpiling to take place wherein SAG (along with WGA) would have had no leverage in June.
For picketing.
For holding your shit together within your ranks.
For United Hollywood and all its invaluable information within a virtual media shut-out.
For electing superior leadership and standing behind those choices.
For supporting an unbeatable staff while they were, I'm sure, stressed and exhausted.
For your excellent communication between Strike Captains.
For your incomparable wit and cleverness on the picket lines.
For your thoughtful, well-composed posts on blogs everywhere.
For your funny, moving videos.
For your maturity.
For letting me in.
I count my new friends of the last three months as some of the finest people I know. The people who make up the WGA are Cowboys. And I salute you.
Love and Respect, Justine
2/04/2008
Alan Rosenberg: These are Tough Times
Jeff Berman also spoke to SAG President Alan Rosenberg at Friday's BAND AID concert to benefit the Industry Support Fund:
Of note: Rosenberg reads a letter from Academy Award nominee Viggo Mortensen stating that he will not cross any picket line at the Oscars.
2/02/2008
Help Build the Future of United Hollywood
Over the past three months, we realized that in covering the dispute between writers and media conglomerates, we were also covering the evolution of the entertainment industry. Digital technology is changing how music, television, films and games are created and consumed. Old business models are dying and new ones are being invented. Workers in the entertainment community need an outlet for reliable information on how the digital revolution will affect us. There are incredible risks but also unprecedented opportunities. United Hollywood can help us manage both.
Over on the right side of this blog, you'll see the official U.H. t-shirt and hat. We've partnered with StrikeSwag.com to design and sell them. You'll also notice that we've posted some Google ads. Proceeds from both will help pay for the hosting and bandwidth of an entirely new United Hollywood.
Starting as soon as next week, you'll see a new look and new features here. We are moving off of Blogspot and onto a dedicated server to make this possible. Soon, you'll be able to create your very own page on U.H. to express yourself and share the industry news that matters to you. We'll also be adding forums to discuss all aspects of the entertainment business. Writers, actors, below-the-line crew members, musicians, directors, computer programmers and fans will all have places to interact on our site.
We want to make sure that the server we purchased has all the security, backups and bandwidth necessary to keep U.H. accessible and safe. We went with a reliable, high-end host. Buying some swag or clicking on ads that interest you helps us cover those costs.
We're honored by the way you've turned to us as a source of news and opinion, but there's no way we can cover all the news or capture the range of opinions that need to be heard. We want to empower all of you to build the United Hollywood of the future. By opening up the site to you, we hope to fulfill the promise of our name. Though we may have huge differences of opinion on the WGA strike, we are all in the digital revolution together.
So please buy a shirt or a hat! If you'd like to be among the first to have your own page on the new U.H., sign up to get an email when the community features are up and running.
Subscribe to UnitedHollywoodRedesign
Visit this group
And thank you.
1/31/2008
Michael Russnow: Let's Have a Formula That Is Meaningful
We believed the AMPTP when they cajoled us to accept the cable deal in 1981 with the understanding that when they stopped rerunning old black and white shows and started making serious money they would take care of us.So while history certainly provides ample reason to be circumspect about the AMPTP's predictions and promises about new technologies, Russnow points out that it's incorrect to make a one-to-one comparison between prime-time reruns and online streaming:
We believed the AMPTP when they cajoled us in 1985 to accept the definition of gross to be one fifth of the monies they received, because the VHS industry was new and those cassettes were expensive to make. When it became really profitable they would take care of us.
Well, they did become profitable, even more so when they switched to DVD and its much cheaper manufacturing costs. And of course, the cable industry grew and grew as it became more and more the norm for shows to rerun directly from their original traditional network home to cable networks like USA, Lifetime and Arts & Entertainment, and the ad rates for those new rerun shows soared through the roof.
And guess what, they didn't change the payment formula. [...] And now there's the Internet and all its possibilities, some of which are already here.
[N]o one's suggested that either $20,000 or the $12,000 prime-time network residual fee that half-hour shows receive should be paid for reruns transmitted on the Internet. When the Internet replaces broadcast and cable as the main source of original programs and reruns the fees should more accurately approach the amounts writers, directors and actors receive in syndication, which are significantly lower than the prime-time rerun rates. These monies are in the low to mid-thousands for subsequent runs and descend in value as rerun usage increases until the payments are in the hundreds of dollars.Hopefully, both sides in the current informal talks can acknowledge that new technologies need new thinking and new payment structures. Check out Russnow's full piece for his thoughts on why the composition of the DGA and WGA memberships lend themselves to different deals and, to my knowledge, the first strike metaphor based on Charles Schulz's "Peanuts." (Who's the Red Baron in all this?)
I'm also not saying we must absolutely have the syndicated rate, and perhaps it's time to recognize the vast dissemination of viewing possibilities. Just as there are many, many more cable networks than there are over-the-air channels, the Internet possibilities are infinite, yet it's clear that in the future a relatively manageable number of dot.com networks and film companies will dominate.
Let's have a formula that is meaningful and reflects the true worth of AMPTP afterlife profits, rather than the pitiful amounts they propose... .
1/28/2008
TV Residuals and the DGA Deal: A SAG Perspective
Remember how at the beginning of the WGA's negotiations, the CEOs made a threat about getting rid of residuals? Well, by my reading, the DGA deal does that for TV.
Are you ready to trade an entire year's worth of TV residuals for a one-time fee of $1,200?
Currently, writers and directors both make approximately $20,000 for the first prime-time rerun of an hour-long episode. The residual gradually decreases on any later reruns (if the writer or director is lucky enough to get more reruns). So the directors' deal potentially gives up 97% of the first prime-time residual while the corporations can "rerun" their work infinitely over an entire year.
It seems to me that if the DGA formula for streaming is ratified, the networks will be on a fast track to never, ever rerun our work on broadcast TV.
The DGA formula is based on current fixed residuals, not upon any measure of online revenue. And experts predict that that revenue will more than double over next three years. Today, advertising online doesn't begin to match that of conventional TV, but as ad dollars shift to the Web, why would the companies rerun content when they can stream it?
If this residual formula is accepted by the WGA or (god forbid!) SAG, I bet you will see more fiber optics get installed by the communications companies. The corporations will want everybody in the country to have the highest speed Internet so they can deliver everything over broadband.
And this isn't some vague future -- IPTV, with a set-top box that streams content directly from computer to your tv, is expanding market share right now, most notably in Europe and Asia, and is already the way many people watch tv -- it's replacing broadcast tv, but viewers still use their same tv set and see the same shows.
IPTV, and services like it, are exploding in popularity right now. And under the terms of the DGA deal, what people using IPTV see on their tv looks like a rerun -- but contractually, it's streaming.
I fear the DGA formula will, in one swoop, cancel out every single residual stride that older members sacrificed to gain in the 1960's. That would be shameful.
It's been said -- I personally have said it many times -- that this moment is like the dawn of television in the sense that the responsibility falls on us to establish the rates and terms under which we will work. But I'm sure the corporations have said the same thing themselves... in the sense that when TV began there were no residuals.
Content creators have lost millions upon millions on that twenty-year-old DVD deal, but at least we could make a decent living under the minimums for TV and film production plus residual payments for TV re-use. It's vitally important we get Internet re-use terms right. The Internet is not a "supplemental market," it's where we are all going to work. By my rough estimate, the formula that pays writers and directors $1200 would translate into $99 for actors.
And we can forget about international residuals too. The Internet is "international." And what about syndication market residuals? After a show has had its run in prime time, "syndication" will likely mean web sites. The health and pension contributions that BTL crew members in the DGA depend upon will gradually go away as there will be no residuals to support them. And I understand the pension and health over at IATSE is 60% supported by residuals. When that contribution disappears, crew members will have virtually no insurance or pension.
The above scenario is NOT a legacy for which I want to be responsible.
I urge all DGA, WGA and SAG members to look in their books for 2007. How much of your income consisted of residuals? Now ask yourself if you could get by if that number were reduced by 97%.
Just ask yourself that, and come back and tell everyone you want that deal.
-Justine
1/14/2008
A Location Manager's Perspective on the Golden Globes
This is the first awards season in my career where a film I helped make is getting consideration for any of the major awards.
I worked 7 months on the road and sank my heart into a film, and it was nice to see it win an award last night, even it’s one I can safely say I helped earn in no way whatsoever.
When I say “see it win an award” I don’t really mean that at all. What I really mean is “read about it on deadlinehollywooddaily.com,” and that’s of course because there was no Golden Globes Ceremony last night, or at least one I’d care to watch.
The SAG awards will go on as planned, as will the DGA awards. The WGA, in a move I understand but disagree with, will make announcements along the lines of the Golden Globe Presentation unless the strike is settled before the ceremony.
I understand the reluctance to appear to be celebrating when so much of the town is suffering. But I also understand that the WGA has been waiting at the bargaining table. I understand that the WGA has made deals with four different companies, and is in the process of making more.
I understand that this strike could have been over a long time ago if the AMPTP wasn’t dead-set on keeping the internet for themselves.
Much has been made of the suffering of us “below the line workers” and while it is true that I haven’t worked since Thanksgiving as a direct result of the strike, it is also true that I’ve been unemployed before, and I will be unemployed again. It’s show business. Work comes and goes, just like it did when I started off and like it will when I finish. There are assistance funds. There are ways for people to get help.
What doesn't exist are ways for us to individually stand up and say: excuse me, General Electric, AOL/Time Warner, Sony, NewsCorp, CBS, Viacom, I’d like a share of the internet revenue when you make money off something I made for you. Something I wrote, something I directed or was in. I’d like you to make a contribution toward my retirement because I worked 16 hours a day hauling cable, dealing with the neighbors, loading the camera, running background, building 20X frames or feeding the people who did.
I can’t do that. My neighbor the propmaster can’t. My neighbor the actor can’t. Even my neighbor the Production Designer can’t. None of us can do it alone. To do that, it takes all of us to stand up.
I understand that people at every level of this business pour their lives onto pages and into moving pictures. And I believe that's worth rewarding.
1/12/2008
Hard Ball and the Award Shows
I miss the Golden Globes. The fans miss seeing their favorite stars win awards for their favorite movies and tv shows. The Writers' Guild Awards have also been downgraded to a news event. All the writers who were nominated deserve their moment in the spotlight. And the Academy Awards... That's threatened too. Added to all the economic difficulties created by the strike, why not just let the awards be a bright spot and let us enjoy all of their pomp and circumstance?
Because we have to play hard ball. We have to do that because the corporations are difficult employers. But more importantly, we have to play a tough-minded game because our industry suffers from a structural imbalance.
In most industries, labor gets to negotiate with a single voice. The individual corporations aren't allowed to collude. In the entertainment business, the opposite is true. The studios speak as one, while the directors, actors, writers, teamsters, and craft unions have been segregated into competing entities.
What's more, the contracts for the different unions don't come up for renewal at the same time. The media congloms won't allow their workers that kind of power. If writers are on strike, everyone else can keep working so the studios can continue on with their businesses, albeit with inconveniences.
Imagine what would happen if all the contracts came up at the same time. Perhaps then we'd have a 7 hour strike the way the auto industry did last year.
But back to reality.
In Hollywood, labor doesn't have that kind of structural power, and the calendar is our enemy. Which brings me back to the Golden Globes and Academy Awards. Nobody wants to take the award shows off the air. Just as nobody wants to make life more difficult for the talk show hosts. For that matter, nobody wants to create economic hardship by striking. But if the corporations propose an unreasonable deal and they won't negotiate with any sincerity, there are only two choices: accept what they offer or take actions that cause them economic pain. That's all they understand, the bottom line.
If we don't like the deal they're offering, we have to play hard ball. The challenge is to do so in a way that is in keeping with our values and keeps public opinion on our side. If we won't allow waivers for these shows, we have to explain why. We can never lose sight of the public's strong support for the strike. We can't be indifferent to the consequences of our struggle. We can't be emotional or capricious. We need to make well-calculated tactical moves. We have to play smart hard ball.
1/08/2008
Speechless (and Jokes at the Expense Of!)
One of the "Speechless" producers writes, "Jon Stewart last night did a bit on Speechless (about 6 mins in). I hate to say it, but pretty funny stuff."
1/07/2008
Voices4Action
With the launch of our new video campaign, Voices4Action! we'll be interviewing people who want to speak out about the strike and the larger issues of a changing media world.
Adam Brooks' interview of Tony Gilroy, the writer-director of Michael Clayton, starts the series. Tony speaks passionately about the partnership between writers and studios and about the trust that needs to exist between the two.
12/28/2007
The Letterman Deal from Down South
I was at a Christmas party the other night, the kind we have down South where you see three generations of one family that you’ve known forever and you eat cheese straws and roast beef and sushi. (We’re getting cosmopolitan down here.)
Everybody and their brother asked about the strike. The big question was this: Did the late night hosts going back on the air mean the writers were getting their butts kicked? (This was framed in different language by each generation.)
I explained how it was unfortunate, but the hosts had contracts they could get sued over, and in some cases were being hit pretty hard because they’d been paying staff out of their own pockets. I said there was hope Letterman would sign a deal with the WGA, but this argument was somewhat hampered by the fact that no agreement had been announced.
When I go to the next party I’ll see a lot of the same people, and maybe even eat some of the same food. I know I’ll hear the same jokes, and get the same questions. But this time I’ll have a better answer: The Writers Guild is willing to make a fair deal. The Writers Guild is capable of making a fair deal.
The guild just made a fair deal with a businessman’s businessman, and it’ll set a precedent. That will lead to more deals and then to agreements for independent films, and then we can all start getting back to work.
A lot of people I wouldn’t have expected to told me they're planning to watch TV on January 2nd, just to hear what the late night hosts have to say. When they turn on the television they’ll find Craig Ferguson back on the air... with the Late Late Show writers. They’ll find David Letterman back on the air... with the Late Show writers.
They'll find Worldwide Pants back on the air, and I bet I know what the first top ten will be about . Yee haw.
Modest Proposal: Truce?
BTL Guy raises an interesting idea: Could the companies be forced back to the table by taking a "time out" in the strike? He suggests that the tactic only be used if the congloms agree to postpone all negotiations with other unions so long as WGA talks are ongoing. As he points out, there are huge pitfalls here. Would any progress be made? Would the companies bother to negotiate in good faith or would they act provocatively so as to encourage the WGA to call the strike back on? Right now, the AMPTP can't explain why they aren't at the table. That's why they dodged the LA City Council meeting on 12/19. It obviously wouldn't make any sense for the guild to flip that situation.
But hey, the point of a Modest Proposal is raise some eyebrows. So have at it in the comments.
12/26/2007
Wall Street: Congloms Let Town Suffer Rather Than Make Fair Deal
MediaPost.com has a summary of the Bear Stearns report here (reg. req.) The highlights:
"From Wall Street's perspective, we estimate the impact of accepting the [writers'] proposal is largely negligible," Bear Stearns wrote in a report last week.
The firm estimates that the $120 million figure would carry an average impact of less than 1% on annual earnings per share for the media companies. That does not factor in any concessions by the writers' side (the WGA), where the principal issue is a desire for a piece of ad dollars from new-media distribution.
The potentially small financial impact suggests that studios (Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers) are more concerned about setting a precedent in new-media revenue sharing. However, Bear Stearns wrote that the writers' forecast for that market "strikes us as fairly aggressive." The firm hinted that studios are looking to the future. They are concerned that a favorable settlement would embolden directors and actors in their coming renegotiations.
12/16/2007
Friday's Announcement: Guild Will Bargain Individually with Companies
A Message to the WGA Membership from its Negotiating Committee
As you know, the AMPTP is currently unwilling to bargain with us. The internal dynamics of the AMPTP make it difficult for the conglomerates to reach consensus and negotiate with us on a give and take basis. We believe this multi-employer structure inhibits individual companies from pursuing their self-interest in negotiations. We nonetheless continue to hope that the AMPTP will return in good faith to negotiate a fair contract with writers, as two television seasons and numerous feature projects are currently at great risk.
We want to do everything in our power to move negotiations forward and end this devastating strike. We have therefore decided to reach out to major AMPTP companies and begin to negotiate with them individually.
As you may know, bargaining on a multi-employer basis through the AMPTP is an option for the WGA, not a legal requirement. Each signatory employer is required to bargain with us individually if we make a legal demand that it do so.
We will make this demand on Monday December 17th and hope that each company responds promptly, in accordance with the law.
In the meantime, we urge you to support us and our negotiations team and leadership during these difficult times. We look forward to a making a fair deal that will resolve this strike, protect our future and put us all back to work, for the good of the industry and all of its employees.
Signed,
John F. Bowman, Chair
John Auerbach
Neal Baer
Marc Cherry
Bill Condon
Carlton Cuse
Stephen Gaghan
Terry George
David A. Goodman
Carl Gottlieb
Susannah Grant
Carol Mendelsohn
Marc Norman
Shawn Ryan
Melissa Salmons
Robin Schiff
Ed Solomon
12/15/2007
Writers Show Support at Teamster Rally in San Diego
WGA and SAG members came to the Teamsters Rally in San Diego to show our solidarity with the Teamsters.
"United we stand; divided we beg."
12/13/2007
Workers Standing Up: FED EX
In our winner-take-all economy where the filthy-rich, get filthier and richer, and the workers get their paychecks and benefits squeezed and slashed - workers are standing up. And, more and more we're standing together.
The IBT (International Brotherhood of Teamsters) has reached out to the Fed Ex workers to help them unionize. Fed Ex labels their drivers "independent contractors" instead of "employees" so they can get around paying benefits, and make the drivers lease their own trucks (costing the workers $40,000). Click here for more information. And, here to sign a petition urging Fed Ex Ground to treat their drivers fairly.
12/11/2007
A Reality Writer Responds to the AMPTP
Dear AMPTP,
Today, I read on your website, “thousands of people in reality and animation have chosen not to join the WGA.”
This statement is false.
As a writer (aka "Supervising Producer", the name I'm given to get around having to give me a WGA contract) who has worked in reality television for over three years and who knows many people on the reality circuit, I can tell you that reality writers desperately want to be part of the WGA.
Why wouldn’t reality writers choose to join the guild? Because we don’t want health insurance? I can assure you, we want health insurance. You think we don’t want to join the guild because we do not want to be paid for overtime? You think we enjoy working 70-80 hour weeks and being paid for 40?
We are good, smart, hard working people who don’t like knowing our employer is breaking California (and other) labor laws. Our salaries are cut in half because in many cases we work twice as many hours as we are paid. We want to be paid for overtime.
We cannot join the guild until we meet the qualifications of the WGA and that means being called a “writer.” Because of this, you refuse to call us “writers.” You give us many other titles like "segment producer," "consultant," anything that does not have “writer” in the title. Yet, that’s what we do in reality television. We write.
We write and create storylines, develop characters, character arcs, structure scenes, write entire series plotlines before and after the show is filmed, write host copy, write dialogue (yes it’s true!), write questions, write narration -- the list goes on and on and on.
You know that what we're doing is writing. That's why you hire writers to do it. This name game is just that -- a game. It's a game to avoid paying pension or health benefits, to avoid paying overtime, to exploit writers. If we speak up, tough, we get fired. If we get sick, tough, we pay the bills ourselves, and if we take too much time off, we get fired.
Reality writers want to join the WGA. I challenge you to find one overworked, underpaid reality writer who wouldn’t want to join the guild right now and receive the same just and fair benefits given to other members of the entertainment unions like IATSE, SAG, WGA, and DGA.
I write this on behalf of all my friends and colleagues who are currently working seven days a week to get a show out for a big network -- but are not getting paid for the weekends. Or the overtime. Who aren't receiving health benefits. Or... you get the picture.
I can't sign my name, because there is a very real threat my employers will fire me. But I can still call myself what I am: A writer.
