Strike A Deal Rally and March

In case you aren't aware, there is a big rally and march scheduled for this Sunday for everyone who is adversely affected by the strike.

I encourage everyone below the line to check out We're Walkin' So They'll Keep Talkin' and try to attend the rally on Sunday.

Whether you support the Writers or not, this demonstration will give a voice to those of us without a say, those of us who are most drastically impacted by the strike.

We want a deal to be fair, but we want it to be quick!  

And most of all, we just want to go back to work!

The Victims of the Strike

I'll say this first and foremost -- I know that Writers don't want to be out of work anymore than the rest of us do.  Many Writers are genuinely concerned about the hardships being incurred by Below The Line Crew (or anyone else affected) as a direct result of their Strike.

But I'm seeing quite a lot of "quit your complaining" and "awww, too bad" posts out there.

Here's why that attitude is both wrong and misguided:

1) Below The Line Crew Members are far more likely to be living paycheck to paycheck than are Writers.  

Much has been made about the WGA factoid that the average annual income for it's members is $62,000 over the past 5 years.  The average for 2006, though, is $105,000 (source: Wall Street Journal, Dec 4, 2007).  I don't know the number for the average IA worker, but I'm pretty sure it's less than that...

2) Writers continue to get paid during a strike, we don't.  All those reruns that are going to start airing everywhere?  That's money in your pockets.  $20,000 per episode, I believe.

3) Writers continue to work during a Strike, we don't.  There will be a flood of spec scripts on the market when this is over.  I know many of you are tirelessly walking the picket lines, but many of you are also writing in your newfound free time.  The work you do now will be paid for later.  

But Boom Operators can't boom, Camera Operators can't operate, Scripty can't check continuity, etc.

Some of us are probably writing too (ask any random person exiting a supermarket in L.A. how their script is going), but let's face it -- you get paid to write, we don't.  For the most part, there's probably a good reason for this.

4) When you deride those who are upset, you only drive the wedge deeper.  Look, I'm running a site called "Divided Hollywood."  I get that I'm not the ideal voice for unity.  But the truth is that I, like so many of us, want to see the writers get a fair deal.  

We're not on the side of the studios.  We want to see negotiations move forward quickly and fairly.

But most of all, we just want to get back to work.

Propaganda Comes From Both Sides

I've spent a lot of time today over on United Hollywood and, in checking back over here, I realized that my last couple of posts are direct responses to UH articles and therefore may seem to unfairly bash only the Writers.

As everyone should know by now, I think there's plenty of blame to go around.

The Writers' propaganda has my current concern because I just feel like all they are doing is pointing fingers.  I want concrete evidence that they are doing SOMETHING.  ANYTHING.

The AMPTP is taking steps forward.  Baby steps, to be sure, but it's something.  Verrone needs to stop saying "they spent 3 days presenting weeks-old ideas" and instead let us know what -- if anything -- he is actually doing.

Cos, right now, it looks as though he's just taking a break.

Come on guys -- get back into the room and figure this thing out!

Writers Propaganda Machine

Well, looks like the WGA needs 4 days to think about an offer that thoroughly underwhelmed them.  How long would it take them to ponder a deal that is appealing?

A few items of note:

They're calling the latest proposal a rollback, despite the fact that there are no cuts to existing rates or residuals.  They get paid the same or better on everything covered in the existing contract, plus new residuals are on the table.  This is a step forward, not a rollback.

They have consistently hammered the AMPTP for walking away from the negotiating table on November 4; and yet they have now walked away from the table.  The argument before was never that concrete to begin with -- the Producers walked away from the table only after the Writers walked away from their jobs.  Writers provoke, Producers respond.  No one was surprised by the Producers leaving the bargaining table.

The Writers claim that it is the Producers' fault that we're all out of work.  This is the single biggest falsehood of the whole strike!  This is a strike, not a lockout.  The Writers could have kept negotiations going by staying at their jobs.  They didn't get what they wanted and THEY WALKED OUT.  

Finally, the Patrick Verrone memo from yesterday bashes the AMPTP for presenting "in essence their November 4 package with not an iota of movement on any of the issues that matter to writers." 

Well, what exactly did the Writers present?  Was there any movement on any of the issues that matter to Producers?  Why is it incumbent on them to present you with the offer?  

And why the hell are you taking 4 days off?!

Get back to work, so the rest of us can, too!!

Producers Present Deal - Writers Take a Break

UPDATE - The post below was a knee-jerk reaction to an AMPTP press release which, at the time, seemed credible.  The WGA has since denied that they asked for the the break.  Neither side, though seems too fervent in their denial of the other's claim.

My interpretation now is that the break was basically a mutual decision, and that whichever side asked for it, the other side quickly agreed.

And we also now know that the groundbreaking deal included compensation of$250 for new media.  Yeah, real groundbreaking there.

The AMPTP has produced a "groundbreaking new deal" (producers' words -- don't get TOO excited!).  

What was the Writers' response?  Let's take a few days off to read it.  They'll come back on Tuesday, December 4.

WHAT!!??!!??

Writers have been complaining nonstop that it wasn't them who broke off negotiations (it was merely the act of striking which made the producers leave the table).

So what happens?  They get presented a deal.  A deal that -- from leaks alone, taken with a grain of salt -- seem fair.

And they want nearly a week to ponder it.

Is this a ridiculously long time?  Depends on how you define ridiculous.  It's not weeks and weeks, but c'mon, people are OUT OF WORK BECAUSE OF YOU.  WGA has a major responsibility to figure this out.  Work through the weekend.  Sign the damn thing!

WGA -- you have officially lost the last speck of respect that we crew members had.  Merry Christmas.

New Deal Coming?

Nikke Finke, on her Deadline Hollywood blog, quotes a source saying that a new deal is being presented by the AMPTP today.

The big change is over the residual schedule for streaming content.  The AMPTP wants six weeks from the date of first broadcast to be royalty-free.  After that six week period, Writers would get a residual, presumably based on a time period (see our previous post about this method).  The AMPTP will not give a piece of advertising.

We think this proposal, if presented as advertised, is COMPLETELY REASONABLE.

Writers already receive a residual for the first airing of an episode (this really only affects TV writers, not features -- what studio streams a theatrical film??).  Perhaps a bump in this residual could be negotiated to compensate for the initial streaming period.

Is six weeks a little long?  Maybe.  But it's still something.  It's certainly not UNreasonable.  And besides, it gives you something to negotiate for in three years.

I am not suggesting that Writers cave and accept this deal.  I'm saying that the deal is good if you really look at it; it's not caving at all.

Let's strike a fair deal and get Hollywood back to work!

LA Times Articles About Show Runners

United Hollywood (an excellent blog showing the rank-and-file Writers' perspective of the strike) has a posting which links to two LA Times articles about the riff between Showrunners during the strike (especially at the beginning).

While many writers deplore the actions of the Showrunners who continued their non-writing duties as a weakness entering the strike, I have to applaud their action.

They are keeping their crews employed for an extra couple of weeks.  Don't they have that responsibility, as executive producers of their shows?

In one article, Edward Bernero, the Showrunner on Criminal Minds, questions the idea that Writers create more work right before the strike and asks, "Could you imagine being in a widget factory and having someone say, 'Hurry up, let's make more widgets because we are going on strike'?"

Couple of problems with that analogy -- 1) the widget factory worker probably does not take home an extra $40,000 for creating that last order of widgets, thereby feeding his own family for a few more months during the walkout; and 2) the widget factory worker is not likely to be responsible for the livelihood of over 100 other workers who are not striking, but out of work regardless.

As I mentioned in a reply post on United Hollywood, I am hopeful that this week's negotiations prove to be more fruitful than those of the past.  These sides were closer than they had ever been up til midnight before the picketing began.  Let's hope they can pick up there and hammer out a fair deal quickly.

Both sides have made serious errors in their negotiations.  Both sides need to own up to that, create a deal that is fair to the Writers, and get Hollywood back to work BEFORE the holidays!