WGA Writers' Strike
POSTED BY: Raycheetah
UPDATED: Thursday, February 28, 2008 16:10
VIEWED: 18272
PAGE 8 of 10
I just wanted to say I appreciate your on-going support of the WGA and providing information about the strike!
I really feel that this strike is going to end up being pivotal to the future of television, and maybe film too...
the studios and networks have become too powerful, they control all the news on TV and radio and they are trying to take over newspapers too...
I've been following the strike news here:
http://twitter.com/writersstrike
and here:
http://unitedhollywood.blogspot.com/
and here:
http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/
but you probably knew about all of those!
http://community.livejournal.com/wga_supporters/3089.html
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The writers guild have reached a bargain with World Wide Pants, David Letterman's production company that runs his show and the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
It also looks like SAG actors can now show up on Letterman's show and may still boycott the other late night shows.
Details are here: http://unitedhollywood.blogspot.com/
http://fireflyfaninnc.livejournal.com/
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It's refreshing to think that creative minds can, in this day and age, seek and win a little justice in a world sorely lacking in that commodity.
Thanks for posting those links, Embers, NC Browncoat! For sure we have to spread the word, ourselves, as, the mainstream media isn't gonna do it!
-Raycheetah =^[.]^=
The enjoyment of any good thing is only enhanced by sharing it with others.
http://fans4writers.com/ support the WGA writers strike
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=30176
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This just in:
Studios say writers losses exceed amount sought in new contract
>
> By LYNN ELBER
> AP Television Writer
>
> LOS ANGELES -- Hollywood studios said Friday that striking writers
> have now lost more in salary and benefits than they had hoped to gain
> by walking off the job.
> In the message posted on its Web site and YouTube, the Alliance of
> Motion Picture and Television Producers claimed losses by writers in
> the eight-week strike have exceeded $151 million.
> That's the price tag the Writers Guild of America put on its proposed
> three-year deal with studios.
> "The strike continues because the union's leaders are focused on
> jurisdictional issues that would expand their own power, at the
> expense of the new media issues that working writers care most
> about," the alliance said in a statement.
> Compensation for work distributed via the Internet and other digital
> media has been central to the contract dispute. The guild also has
> called for unionization of writers working on reality shows and
> animation.
> The union responded by saying the contract proposals by the big
> studios would cause writers even more economic harm in the future.
> "To sidestep this fact, they erroneously claim we are focused on
> other issues," the guild said in a statement. "The conglomerates are
> responsible for creating the economic havoc. They should put their
> energies into making a fair deal with writers rather than issuing
> misleading statements."
> The strike that began Nov. 5 has also been costly for other industry
> workers. Production has been shut down on dozens of TV shows, with
> losses for crew members exceeding $250 million, according to the
> alliance message.
> The alliance Web site features a constantly updated ticker with the
> studios' estimate of writers' losses. The figure is based on West
> Coast guild data from 2006, the site said.
> Talks broke down Dec. 7 after the union rejected an alliance demand
> that a half-dozen guild proposals be taken off the table, including
> jurisdiction over reality and animation writers.
> While negotiations with the writers union are at a standstill,
> studios are preparing to begin contract talks with the Directors
> Guild of America, perhaps next month.
> Digital compensation also is expected to be a key issue for directors.
> Whether a deal by directors will affect the writers dispute is
> unclear. The guilds traditionally have followed a practice of pattern
> bargaining, with one contract considered a template for others.
> But the writers guild has said previously that it wishes the
> directors well, but noted they "do not represent writers. Our strike
> will end when the companies return to negotiations and make a fair
> deal with the WGA."
> The directors guild has gone on strike only once, for just five
> minutes in 1987.
> ———
> On the Net:
> Alliance: www.amptp.org
> Writers Guild of America, West: www.wga.org
> Writers Guild of America, East: www.wgaeast.org
>
I dunno, but, doesn't this sound like gloating, to you?
Of course, in an industry that deals with numbers several decimal places to the right of that figure, it's also telling that what the 12,000 individual writers have lost amounts to $1,258.33, each. If that's more than the writers asked for, then, the writers haven't asked for much, have they?
I suspect the industry has lost more. I hope the new trend toward web start-ups which bypass the industry succeeds as it appears it should,
allowing creative minds to present their work for their own profit in a meaningful and up-to-date medium. And, all this without the meddlesome antics of networks all too willing to cancel shows we enjoy because they either don't "get it," or, because the money isn't rolling in fast enough.
Welcome to the future.
-Raycheetah =^[.]^=
The enjoyment of any good thing is only enhanced by sharing it with others.
http://fans4writers.com/ support the WGA writers strike
http://i
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Well, something appears to be happening...
http://weblogs.variety.com/wga_strike_blog/2008/01/winship-asks-fo.htm
l
"January 28, 2008
Winship asks for end to speculation
In an indication of how WGA leaders have cooled down their rhetoric now that they're in informal talks with moguls, WGA East president Michael Winship has asked members to put a lid on speculation about a possible tentative deal.
That's quite a contrast with Winship's Dec. 10 opening statement to members after negotiations with the AMPTP cratered -- "They lie. And then they lie again. And then they lie some more."
Winship also said in his latest missive, sent out Monday, that members need to stay active on the picket lines. "More than ever, it is critical that we keep up the pressure on the media conglomerates and various struck shows with our picket lines, rallies and other actions that convey our message and demonstrate our impact on the entertainment industry," he noted.
Here's the entire message --
Fellow Members of the Writers Guild of America, East: "This is not a time for doubt, baseless speculation or second-guessing," he said. "All is being done to achieve a contract that is fair and respectful to writers. Leadership is moving forward with caution and diligence."
Solidarity and strength have gotten us to where we are in this strike so far. We have, as Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, organized our strength into compelling power.
Patience and perseverance, added to that unity and power, will now take us the rest of the way.
As you know, last week, informal talks began in Los Angeles between the Writers Guilds and some of the studio and network heads with the goal of returning the AMPTP to the bargaining table.
This is not a time for doubt, baseless speculation or second-guessing. All is being done to achieve a contract that is fair and respectful to writers. Leadership is moving forward with caution and diligence.
More than ever, it is critical that we keep up the pressure on the media conglomerates and various struck shows with our picket lines, rallies and other actions that convey our message and demonstrate our impact on the entertainment industry.
Last week, here in the East, two events were especially significant, capturing the attention of the media and public.
On Tuesday, when the Academy Award nominations were announced in Hollywood, we held a press conference at The Players Club on the south end of Manhattan's Gramercy Park. Assembled were forty or so writers and actors who arrived with all their awards - Oscars, Emmys, Tonys, Writers Guild Awards - the works.
They held them high for the cameras as they announced that glittering prizes are wonderful to receive and that they're grateful to have their work recognized, but they'd trade all the gold and brass and bronze for a decent, fair resolution to the writers' strike. Among the attendees was Tony Gilroy, fresh from two Oscar nominations for "Michael
Clayton." Sitting in front was 90-year-old, three-time Academy Award nominee Celeste Holm. Her best-supporting actress Oscar for the 1947 movie "Gentlemen's Agreement" is out on loan. For our occasion, she borrowed one that had belonged to Gary Cooper.
The following day, we traveled to Washington with eight striking writers from "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report." Serious talks about the strike were held with various members of Congress but the centerpiece was a mock debate staged in a House committee hearing room by the Stewart and Colbert writers.
Three of the Stewart gang - Tim Carvell, Rob Kutner and Jason Ross - represented the writers. Three Colbert writers - Michael Brumm, Peter Grosz and Tom Purcell -- stood in for the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Former Clinton White House Press Secretary DeeDee Myers moderated, Kevin Bleyer of the Stewart show and Colbert's Peter Gwinn played hecklers in the audience. You can view highlights at:
[url= http://unitedhollywood.blogspot.com/2008/01/daily-show-and-colbert-wri
ters-mock.html]http:
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This strike was kind of a blessing, I mean I found Firefly, years after being over, I found it and enjoyed it. I got back into playing video games, and my schooling has taken a huge leap in the right direction. I just wish that people weren't greedy with how they treated their staff's wages. Thank you for the ongoing news and let's hope that the man learns from this...though they never do.
Binkocd
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Some recent news:
http://unitedhollywood.blogspot.com/
"Thursday, January 31, 2008
WGA Continues With Interim Deals
This was released by the WGA today:
WRITERS GUILDS REACH INTERIM AGREEMENTS WITH
INTERMEDIA AND THE FILM DEPARTMENT
Los Angeles – The Writers Guild of America, West and the Writers Guild of America, East are pleased to announce they have reached interim agreements with The Film Department and Intermedia. The Guilds continue to sign agreements with companies that value the essential role writers play in making films, television programs, and content for new media.
“Companies like Intermedia and The Film Department recognize the importance of signing a deal that compensates writers fairly for the work they do,” said Patric M. Verrone, president of the Writers Guild of America, West, and Michael Winship, president of the Writers Guild of America, East, in a joint statement. “In turn, we’ve designed an agreement for the entertainment industry that takes into account the economic realities that it faces.”
“We are pleased that we were able to conclude successful negotiations with the WGA so that we can move forward with our production slate across all media, while being able to provide fair and equitable compensation to the writers now and into the future,” said Intermedia President Linda Benjamin. “In light of this agreement, we will shortly be announcing our updated film and television slate.”
Intermedia Film is a global, independent media enterprise with affiliates in London and Los Angeles organized under Munich-based parent company, IM Internationalmedia AG. The core business of the company consists of the development, financing, and distribution of high-quality theatrical films as well as TV productions.
Current and future Intermedia releases include Breach, screenplay by Adam Mazer & William Rotko and Billy Ray, story by Adam Mazer and William Rotko, starring Chris Cooper and Ryan Philippe; The Hunting Party, written by Richard Shepard, starring Richard Gere and Terrence Howard; One Missed Call, screenplay by Andrew Klavan, starring Edward Burns and Shannyn Sossamon; and The Prodigy, written by John Romano, starring Richard Gere.
The Film Department is an independent movie finance, production and international sales company founded by former Warner Independent Pictures and Miramax Films president Mark Gill and former Miramax Films executive vice president and Yari Film Group COO Neil Sacker. With capitalization of $200 million, the company plans to fully finance and produce six films per year budgeted between $10 and $35 million.
The deal with both companies is similar to agreements the WGA recently reached with Lionsgate, RKO Productions, Marvel Studios, The Weinstein Company, United Artists, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, Spyglass Entertainment, MRC, Jackson Bites, Mandate Films, and Worldwide Pants.
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Posted by Laeta Kalogridis at 8:08 PM"
Another end-run around the PTB!
Touchdown! Now, the WGA needs the game-winning play.
-Raycheetah =^[.]^=
The enjoyment of any good thing is only enhanced by sharing it with others.
http://fans4writers.com/ support the WGA writers strike
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=30176
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Looks like the guv'mint wants their shows back, too:
http://unitedhollywood.blogspot.com/
"Friday, February 1, 2008
Congressional Committee Urges CEOs to Make Fair Deal
The following letter was sent out today by three members of the US House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor. (via Variety's Scribe Vibe blog) -JA
February 1, 2008
Mr. Peter Chernin, Chairman and CEO
The Fox Group
Mr. Robert Iger, President and CEO
The Walt Disney Company
Dear Messrs. Chernin and Iger:
As Chairs and Members of the House Committee on Education and Labor, we have monitored the ongoing labor dispute between your company and the Writers Guild of America with particular interest and growing concern. We were pleased to see that, after suspension of formal negotiations, you and the other members of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have convened informal discussions with Writers Guild representatives. The purpose of our letter is to encourage you to seek a fair, just, and swift resolution to this labor dispute.
The television and film industry is a significant part of our national economy. It provides thousands of jobs, directly and indirectly, each year. It generates critical revenue to cities, counties, and states. Its products are among the country’s most valuable exports.
The entertainment industry not only supports writers, actors, and producers but is a major source of middle class jobs for California, New York, and the rest of the country. We appreciate that the issues at stake are critical to the future of your business. As the entertainment industry grows and changes, we hope that any new business models will allow for creative talent to grow with the industry.
Maintaining the middle class jobs that your industry provides is among our greatest concerns. The growing cost of this dispute is of increasing concern in the Congress. We understand that Los Angeles County, for example, has lost an estimated $1.6 billion in economic activity due to the strike. Given the House Education and Labor Committee’s jurisdiction, we are exploring the need for further Committee attention to this matter. The impact of this strike on workers, the industry, and our economy is simply too pronounced to ignore.
We urge you to work to resolve the dispute with a fair and just agreement for all parties as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
GEORGE MILLER
Chairman
Committee on Education and Labor
LYNN C. WOOLSEY
Chairperson
Subcommittee on Workforce Protections
LINDA T. SÁNCHEZ
Member
Committee on Education and Labor
cc: Patric M. Verrone, President, Writers Guild of America West
Michael Winship, President, Writers Guild of America East
Jeffrey Zucker, President and CEO, NBC Universal
Les Moonves, President and CEO, CBS Entertainment
Barry M. Meyer, Chairman and CEO, Warner Brothers Inc.
Brad Grey, Chairman and CEO, Paramount Pictures Corp.
Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Harry Sloan, Chairman and CEO, MGM
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Posted by John Aboud at 5:06 PM"
-Raycheetah =^[.]^=
The enjoyment of any good thing is only enhanced by sharing it with others.
http://fans4writers.com/ support the WGA writers strike
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=30176
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Breaking News:
http://unitedhollywood.blogspot.com/
"NY Times Reports Progress In Talks
As this is written, the WGA and AMPTP are still under a news blackout regarding the ongoing informal negotiations.
However, the NY Times just reported that "major roadblocks" have been gotten past in the negotiations, and progress will be swifter in the negotiations going forward -- with an eye toward an agreement in principle coming out of negotiations fairly soon.
UH has confirmed from off-the-record sources that progress is indeed being made in the informal talks, and that creative solutions to the biggest differences between the AMPTP and the WGA have gotten the tentative and cautious approval of both sides.
This does not mean there is a deal in principle yet. It means we may, finally, be very close to one -- as close as days away.
And while we're cautiously optimistic about what we're hearing, it comes with a real caveat.
Just as happened with the DGA deal, points that are agreed to in informal negotiation can be thought of as points on a deal memo -- but it's the drafting language that comes from hammering out those points that makes them legally binding. And our sources say that draft language doesn't yet exist. That's a big part of what will be happening in the next few days, as negotiations continue.
Until the WGA and the companies have enshrined the deal points -- whatever they are -- into real draft language, those deal points can't be thought of as final.
The only reason we've gotten as far as we have in the negotiations is because the pressure has stayed on. If we let up on that pressure, even a little, it could affect the draft language of the agreement. It could, in a very real way, diminish the power of our negotiators and our Guild now, when it matters most.
Stay out there. Stay on the lines, stay informed. Stay strong. We'll have more soon.
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Posted by United Hollywood at 1:23 PM"
However,
"Saturday, February 2, 2008
It's Not Over 'Til It's Over -- And It Isn't Over
Mark Evanier provides some very wise precautionary words on his blog News From Me, putting what's happening in negotiations in the context of past strike experiences. Here's an excerpt:
... it's a fine, even prudent idea to not get one's hopes too high. It is a not uncommon negotiating technique to get the other side into the mindset that the deal is done, and then to throw in a last second demand. In past WGA-AMPTP contracts, negotiating has even continued after the deal was made and ratified. Weeks, even months after the '81, '85 and '88 strikes were settled and work resumed, reps from the studio side were still arguing over what had been agreed to, insisting that their notes said we'd agreed to X when we were certain we'd consented to Y. And even when we all agree on what we all agreed upon, we can't always agree on the interpretation of some clauses and codicils.
And Alfredo Barrios' piece, The Strike Is A Lawyers' Game, is something we should all reread right now -- especially the latter part of the essay, where he talks about how to get Nick Counter out of the equation -- and many of his predictions have come startlingly true. An excerpt:
And by taking the fight to them, I mean, maintaining picket lines at the studios at peak levels, relentlessly picketing locations, continuing to put out creative videos that entertain and inform people about the strike, denying waivers to award shows and picketing those shows, seeking alternative ways to put out creative work on the Internet for pay, etc.
Playing this kind of offense serves a couple of purposes. First, when a CEO drives through the studio gates, or hears about how a location shoot was impacted by picketing (like for example, when an actor leaves the set or a day has been added to the schedule), or sees how his untenable bargaining positions are being ripped apart on websites, or is told about how his award show is falling apart, or reads how Google is about to form a competing entertainment powerhouse, it
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Breaking News:
http://unitedhollywood.blogspot.com/
"LA Times Reports on Progress In Negotiations
The media blackout continues, although it's getting hard to tell. Today's Los Angeles Times is running a front page story titled "Writers, Studios Outline A Deal."
It has some of the most detailed information to date on how the informal talks have gone so far. When we compare it to what our off-the-record sources are saying, it appears to be fairly accurate.
We'd like to highlight the following parts:
Who did the negotiating?
David Young, Patric Verrone and John Bowman on the WGA side, and Peter Chernin and Bob Iger on the companies' side. From the Times:
That stood in contrast to previous sessions with the writers in which top media executives weren't at the bargaining table and were led instead by Nick Counter, president of the producers association, and labor relations executives from the major studios.
Is the deal done?
No. As we mentioned in an earlier post, details are still being hammered out, and contract language is key. Until that language is drafted, nothing can be considered to be truly "done." To be as clear as possible: Things that are agreed to in the room aren't "real" until we have at least a serious start on contract language, and even the most optimistic estimates say that process will take a week.
Attorneys from the studios and the guild were meeting over the weekend to discuss contract language for the proposed agreement, which would need to be ratified by the union's 10,500 members. Even before a vote by members, the strike would probably be called off if board members strongly endorse the deal.
There are some issues that have yet to be resolved, including defining what qualifies as promotion on the Internet. The debate centers on the extent to which networks can run video clips and other materials on their websites to promote TV programs before paying writers.
Is this deal a carbon copy of the DGA deal?
No. It appears to use the DGA deal as a template, with key adjustments for writers.
On Friday, however, studios offered some key concessions to ease those concerns [that the DGA deal was inadequate on streaming and Internet-first jurisdiction] and keep the talks on track. Those included more favorable pay terms for streaming than those offered to directors. Studios also offered "separated rights" provisions for shows created for the Web, ensuring, for example, that writers would receive extra compensation and credit for online shows that spawn TV pilots, two people close to the talks said.
What happens now?
Verrone, Bowman and Young are expected to present a summary of the deal points to the Board on Monday.
Then, over the course of next week, the contract language will be drafted, to protect/assure everyone's understanding of the deal points insofar as possible.
By Friday at the earliest, depending on how well the drafting goes, there could be a preliminary contract with all the most important areas covered. Despite the LA Times' assertion that contract will be "final," that seems to be an imprecise use of the word.
A final contract could be presented to the Writers Guild of America board as early as Friday, according to three people close to the talks who asked not to be identified because the negotiations are confidential.
As Mark Evanier has pointed out, "final" wasn't reached in the 1988 strike until well after everyone had gone back to work.
Does this mean it's over?
Not yet. The only leverage writers have to make sure the deal points agreed to in the room actually end up in the contract, is to stay strong and united until the contract language is drafted. And not to be alarmists, but keep in mind who's in charge of that on the companies' side:
Having done the heavy lifting, Chernin and Iger will now step back and rely on labor relations executives to formalize contract language this week.
These "labor relations executives" are some of the same folks who stalled negotiations with the WGA for months. Iger and Chernin had to st
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