We disagree with the Strike. We think the timing was ill-advised and we think the enemy was under-estimated.
BUT...
...we support the Writers. Their complaints with the current Agreement are legitimate and we firmly believe that they deserve a residual from for-profit internet distribution of their work.
In other words, We Support The Troops, But We Don't Support The War.
Problems With "The War"
It is our opinion that:
- the WGA rushed to Strike (5 days after the contract expired),
- the WGA miscalculated the resolve of the AMPTP,
- the WGA did not give negotiations (aka diplomacy) a chance.
The WGA assumed that by walking out now, they would force the AMPTP to begin earnest negotiations with the Writers before dealing with the DGA and SAG. The fear was that joining with the other two Above The Line unions in a "perfect storm" strike would have lessened their role in the process, forcing the WGA to basically accept whatever the other two unions negotiate.
There was also the concern that Producers would stockpile works now in order to better weather the storm in the second half of the year (a tactic which worked for the Producers three years ago when a SAG strike was averted in the 11th hour -- the was still a massive work slow down for the next several months).
What the WGA failed to appreciate, however, was that the threat of a strike holds significantly more leverage in a negotiation than an actual strike holds.
Don't believe me?
By most accounts, the last minute negotiations on Sunday, November 4 were proceeding well. The WGA had removed a major request from the table (doubling of DVD residuals). The AMPTP was moving on other proposals. Work was getting done.
Then the strike happened.
There have been no talks since. (as of this writing - 11/13/07)
3 comments:
ALC,
your time line is off. The studios ignored the deadline, tried to extract one more concession from the WGA, and then walked away from the table.
It's clear that you're launching a studio backed misinformation campaign.
If you are in fact a crew member, which department? What do you do, and which soundstage do you currently work on?
Hi Odo,
Because my stance is that I blame BOTH the producers and writers, I have chosen -- for now, at least -- to remain anonymous.
I am a 14-year veteran of film and television production. I am a below-the-line crew member who is directly affected by the strike. I am working on a network television show that is still shooting, but only for another week.
You likely found this page based on posts on unitedhollywood, which have since been removed. I can repost them here, if you'd like.
Those posts were, I think, fair observations of the conditions right now.
I never questioned the WGA right to strike, nor the reasons for doing so. It is merely the TIMING of the strike to which I object so strongly.
Unlike UnitedHollywood, I welcome all opinions on this, and I even link back to UnitedHollywood as I believe it is an excellent source of information on the Writers' position.
I offer no such link to the AMPTP.
Are the Producer's at fault here? You bet they are.
Are the Writers innocent victims? Not a chance.
I hear a lot of the "troll" accusations. Now, if I were a tool of the industry, and my job was to post blogs which make the writers look bad in an effort to sway public opinion, I wouldn't do it by posing as an out of work BTL crewmember. I would pose as a writer and post a lot of really hateful, insensitive comments towards the BTL people. I would hurl a lot of insult and make ridiculous accusations. The public would read these posts along with the legitimate ones posted by the jobless crew and think "Boy, these writers really are rotten; I don't think I can support these guys!" The truth is, the worst enemies of the WGA are the members/supporters of their own guild who actually are acting terribly. These people are hurting the image of the writers more than they are helping it.
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