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The Writers Guild strike continued into its second day today; in L.A. Jay Leno delivered donuts to strikers on his motorcycle, while here in New York Seth Meyers joined the picket line and the giant rat outside Silvercup Studios in Long Island City (30 Rock and Gossip Girl are among the productions filmed there). The Saturday Night Live star and head writer had this to say:
TV is completely changing, the way people are watching is completely changing, and we just want some structure in place to make sure the union is treated fairly. I hope this ends as soon as possible; I’d be more than happy to do SNL this Saturday.Tomorrow the Guild will be picketing at Chelsea Piers (where Law & Order films). They vow to continue the strike as long as it takes until they get a contract that accommodates new media and digital technologies. So stayed tuned, because it's all repeats on talks shows anyway.As far as how long we’re willing to strike, the important thing for us to remember is that twenty years ago the writers went on strike for 22 weeks, and as a younger writer I’m a beneficiary of what they went through. But we would all much rather be working!
Variety has an interesting article about how writers' demands aren't being articulated (in fact, some writers are being criticized for speaking to the press) while their counterparts in the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have made a "well-organized attempt to convey their point of view."
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"that's not writing, it's typing"...the telivision and movie industry, with few exceptions, spawns such god-awful product it is really difficult to see this strike as anything but good news. SNL in particular is so bad it is a total joke at this point. That's not the same as being funny, by the way.
You would think "writers" would come up with better slogans for thieir signs. Oh wait, they are TV writers.
Unions suck period whether it be electricians, plumbers, truck drivers, writers, cops, firefighters, steel workers or actors. Unions suck.
being on strike looks so cool
being in a Union is cool and hip now.
all we need is for doug heffernan to stop by, grill up some burgers and toss a frisbee around.
Snoopy, Why is that? In the construction industry one of the main purposes of the unions are to protect the safety of the workers and the public. Look at most of the construction mishaps around the city, the majority are caused by undocumented non-union workers. The unions also ensure that if you want to work on a project in Manhattan you have to be willing to pay a fair wage. Their strong arm tactics keep owners and developers honest.
When it comes to strikes, I usually tend not to come down on the side of the strikers, but this one does make sense. Studios are making lots of money off selling TV shows on DVD, and they'll likely be making more via new revenue streams like online distribution. The market for these things have exploded over the past few years, and so many people now wait for a season to be collected on DVD--why shouldn't writers get a bigger piece of that revenue?
Hopefully, the Writers Guild will use this downtime to correct the typos on their website. It's kind of embarrassing--even the first word is misspelled (see link below). They also make the "your"/"you're" mistake quite frequently.
I dunno... Maybe they don't deserve that pay raise as much as they think they do...
http://www.wgaeast.org/index.php/articles/article/498?startnum=&sort=&letter=&wgc=144#wga498
Ok So the writer are on strike, doesn't mean you can't eat Turkey!
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I wonder how much these "stars" make that have joined teh picket line? Hey, offer a part of your million dollar salary to the "poor" writers already!
We're not just television writers. We've written every film you've ever liked, too. And there is some good television.
I am a Writers Guild member and I sincerely appreciate any support our fellow New Yorkers can give us, whether it's a pro-union blog posting, or just telling your friends about the strike. The corporations are acting as if the Internet is a new technology that they don't understand. They are lying.
Snoopy, obviously you don't understand the history of unions or you wouldn't say they suck. If it weren't for unions, your child would be working and your grandmother would be putting in 12-hour shifts.
Seth is such a cutie. Too bad he's not funny.
all joking aside, glad to see young writers stepping up for the cause.
Murry slaughter would be proud. gordie, too.
Union bashing is just stupid, unless you're one of those insanely wealthy people who light cigars with hundred dollar bills. Unions are one of the few groups out there that actually do something to make sure that middle and lower class people can actually make a living wage, have health insurance, and that employers provide a safe work place. How can anyone possibly be against that? Everyone in the US who makes less that $250,000 a year should be unionized. Everything. That way, maybe our economy would come back into balance a little bit. Why complain about unions, when you have ridiculous hedge fund creeps, bond traders and all their supporting lawyers, accountants etc. making obscenely large amounts of money, while the middle class is being systematically eliminated. Unions came about because bosses will drive you into the ground without them. Unions are what keeps the U.S. labor force from becoming the legalized slavery it is in China.
I'm 100% in support of the writers. They deserve to get paid fairly for what they do.
Some shows are well written and have a great
supporting cast, SNL is poorly written and
has only a few talented cast members.
The writers, especially SNL, should be
thankful that monies are not deducted from these
tired, lame, retread sketches. What is it
when you have to 'point' to your head while
doing an update story when no one gets it?
Seth is no Tina.
EmilyDickinson, I can bash unions all I want, especially the WGA. These are writers that are on average making six figures and are greedy for more. There is nothing unsafe about working conditions. There is no plea for health coverage where there is none. This is about money. It's 2007 and these are writers. It is not 1907 and Chicago meatpackers unions.
East River, maybe you need to broaden your horizons. Within the entire entertainment industry, EVERYONE is covered by a guild/union of some sort. It actually is the most cost and time efficient way to handle the business. Just because you are not a part of this particulr business, no need to rag on it. We all need the unions as we are basically freelance and that is how we get our healthcare etc...And there were unsafe labor conditions, that is one of the things our union s protect us from. Your ignorance of the history of hollywd unions and the way the entertainment industry functions is showing.
And yes it is about money. People generally like to be paid for their work. Broadcasting TV and movies over the internet without paying a royalty to the writer is theft. Same as selling a song over itunes and not giving it's author/songwriter their royalty. Theft, as in unfair, as in stealing.
I assume that you don't work for free? If they don't want to pay residuals, they should stop re-selling the shows.
And those "averages" for salary you quote are WRONG. Where did you gather your info? From one of the media outlets owned by one of the corporations that is being struck? Duh. And it's not like the writers that make $200,000 on a sale or show make it every year. That amount usually gets spread out over a few years, the years that they don't have a steady gig. Research the business, you don't know what you are talking about. The "average" writer is middle class, not rich by any means.
But bash away if it makes you feel better, you just sound like a bitter and jealous person. One who has no idea what you're talking about. Are you a failed writer by the way?
What a poor argument. So writers shouldn't get fair compensation for future sales of their work because they're not meatpackers or work in hazardous conditions?
Yes, a lot of television sucks, but there are lots of great shows out there, and those are the ones that are more likely to be sought after on DVD or online.
areacode212
That's a complete misinterpretation of what I said. It's not even a misinterpretation; it's you putting words in my mouth. I was simply pointing out that the numerous statements here about the past work of unions has zero meaning in this current fight.
Maybe you guys that are so pro-writers should tell us just how much a typical writer makes and what you all consider to be "fair compensation".
And Spoon, "you just sound like a bitter and jealous person" is the typical comeback of someone that has nothing to say. Funny how it happens every day on this site. I'm not a writer, have never been a writer, and I'm not bitter or jealous. Want to try again? Do you have sympathies for the poor enslaved professional athletes, too? Long live the revolution.
if NY and CA were right to work states this wouldnt even be an issue. Scabs would be brought in and the public would be none the wiser.
I hope the union members get paid based on the quality of their work not for the quantity. But then again didn't all writers, comedians and dramatists get into the business for the $$?
OK, look:
the studios will continue to sell the content in whatever form -- DVDs, streaming, etc -- for the highest price the market will bear. If they can stiff the writers (or actors, or crew, or caterers, or ANYONE) and hold more profit for themselves, that is what they will do.
That is the design of a corporation, and that is why a union is designed to protect the individual against it.
Look, you sign a contract, deal with it. I am all for unions. But I am also for a maximum wage (kind of like a reverse minimum wage). I heard Jay Leno is giving them donuts. What he shoudl be giving them is a portion of his million$ if he actually gives a shit.