Joan Didion's Essay On The 1988 Strike

In 1988, Joan Didion wrote an essay on the writers' strike. There's a link to a pdf version at los angeles daze -- it's a must-read.

Agree or disagree with how this strike has been waged, she puts her finger on realities that sound eerily familiar, 20 years later -- and on some key differences as well.

Most importantly, the Union Blues writers that she talks about, who broke the back of the '88 strike -- this time, there was dissent, but we held together. As writers, as a union. And 3 years from now, we'll still be here.

In the wake of the LA Times article talking about the "Dirty 30" and the events leading up to the final agreement, we're going to be running some pieces ourselves concerning those events and, to us more importantly, where we all go now.

Readathon Benefits Industry Support Fund

This article was submitted by WGA member Michael Arkof. It runs today in Writers: On The Line, a weekly print newsletter distributed at picket locations.

AND A CHILD SHALL READ THEM

Sabrina Batchler didn’t write the book on supporting the WGA strike, but she is reading one. Lots of them, actually. The eleven year-old is conducting a Read-a-thon to raise money for the Writers Guild Foundation, to help people put out of work by the strike.

The idea originated with Sabrina’s mother, writer Janet Batchler, who said she got the notion over the winter break. Since then, her daughter has read five books, going on six, for a total of about a thousand pages. By collecting pledges for her tireless reading, Sabrina has managed to raise more than a thousand dollars in contributions.

“Sabrina loves to read and was interested in the strike from the very beginning,” said Batchler, “So I thought why not combine the two.” Batchler explained that Read-a-thon pledges vary. Some pledge a penny per page, others pledge per book, while still others give a donation per month of reading.

In between turning the pages, Sabrina keeps a blog and sends out emails to her sponsors, updating them on the number of pages she’s read. The sponsors then mail out checks to the Foundation, which in turn allocates the funds to one of two locations (based on the pledge’s choice): the Industry Support Fund or the Actor’s Fund. (Ed. note: both these Funds are for non-writers who are out of work because of the strike.)

You might guess that Sabrina Batchler’s determination to help out writers stems from her own desire to become a writer someday. Not so, said the 5th grader. “I want to be a fashion designer rock star.”

This week in Sabrina’s elementary school, an announcement will go out to the entire student body advertising the Read-a-thon idea and asking other students to join. To enroll a child as a reader or to make a pledge, go to Sabrina's blog for more information.

Our thanks to Sabrina and all those like her who continue to help fundraise for non-WGA members affected by the strike. Her determination is inspiring.

Must Read: Robert J. Elisberg's FAQ on the WGA Strike

Just go read it.

Elisberg is scheduled to appear on today's edition of United Hollywood Live.

The Letterman Deal from Down South

This comes from John Jabaley, a UH contributor and Teamster.

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?

Regular readers of the comments section here will know "BTL Guy." He's a crew member (protecting his identity) who supports a fair deal for writers and strong unions but doesn't think the WGA leadership should have called the strike when they did. He recently sent me a Modest Proposal and has posted it on his blog, Divided Hollywood. (And yes, as much as I respect BTL Guy, that name, grrr!)

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.