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THURSDAY PM UPDATE: I'm told WGA negotiators are still waiting for the other "half" of the AMPTP's Day #4 new proposals (the half that presumably contains the missing terms on ESTs, electronic sell-throughs?) which agent Bryan Lourd said should be in their hands by Tuesday if not before. Then the writers will make a counter-offer to producers on Tuesday. Here's the WGA West and East email to members critical of today's New Media offers by the AMPTP on streaming, content made for new media, and programming delivered over digital broadcast channels:
To Our Fellow Members,
After four days of bargaining with the AMPTP, we are writing to let you know that, though we are still at the table, the press blackout has been lifted.Our inability to communicate with our members has left a vacuum of information that has been filled with rumors, both well intentioned and deceptive.
Among the rumors was the assertion that the AMPTP had a groundbreaking proposal that would make this negotiation a "done deal." In fact, for the first three days of this week, the companies presented in essence their November 4 package with not an iota of movement on any of the issues that matter to writers.
Thursday morning, the first new proposal was finally presented to us. It dealt only with streaming and made-for-Internet jurisdiction, and it amounts to a massive rollback.
For streaming television episodes, the companies proposed a residual structure of a single fixed payment of less than $250 for a year's reuse of an hour-long program (compared to over $20,000 payable for a network rerun). For theatrical product they are offering no residuals whatsoever for streaming.
For made-for-Internet material, they offered minimums that would allow a studio to produce up to a 15 minute episode of network-derived web content for a script fee of $1,300. They continued to refuse to grant jurisdiction over original content for the Internet.
In their new proposal, they made absolutely no move on the download formula (which they propose to pay at the DVD rate), and continue to assert that they can deem any reuse "promotional," and pay no residual (even if they replay the entire film or TV episode and even if they make money).
The AMPTP says it will have additional proposals to make but, as of Thursday evening, they have not been presented to us. We are scheduled to meet with them again on Tuesday.
In the meantime, we felt it was essential to update you accurately on where negotiations stand. On Wednesday we presented a comprehensive economic justification for our proposals. Our entire package would cost this industry $151 million over three years. That's a little over a 3% increase in writer earnings each year, while company revenues are projected to grow at a rate of 10%. We are falling behind.
For Sony, this entire deal would cost $1.68 million per year. For Disney $6.25 million. Paramount and CBS would each pay about $4.66 million, Warner about $11.2 million, Fox $6.04 million, and NBC/Universal $7.44 million. MGM would pay $320,000 and the entire universe of remaining companies would assume the remainder of about $8.3 million per year. As we've stated repeatedly, our proposals are more than reasonable and the companies have no excuse for denying it.
The AMPTP's intractability is dispiriting news but it must also be motivating. Any movement on the part of these multinational conglomerates has been the result of the collective action of our membership, with the support of SAG, other unions, supportive politicians, and the general public. We must fight on, returning to the lines on Monday in force to make it clear that we will not back down, that we will not accept a bad deal, and that we are all in this together.
Patric M. Verrone, President, WGAW
Michael Winship, President, WGAE
UPDATE: Here's the AMPTP official statement from Talks Day #4:
LOS ANGELES, November 29, 2007 - "The AMPTP today unveiled a New Economic Partnership to the WGA, which includes groundbreaking moves in several areas of new media, including streaming, content made for new media and programming delivered over digital broadcast channels.
The entire value of the New Economic Partnership will deliver more than $130 million in additional compensation above and beyond the more than $1.3 billion writers already receive each year. In response, the WGA has asked for time to study the proposals. While we we strongly preferred to continue discussions, we respect and understand the WGA's desire to review the proposals. We look forward to resuming talks on Tuesday, December 4.
We continue to believe that there is common ground to be found between the two sides, and that our proposal for a New Economic Partnership offers the best chance to find it."
EXCLUSIVE BULLETIN: The AMPTP presented what its sources just told me are "a number of New Media proposals" today at Talks Day #4. 
"This is the day it shook loose," a relieved insider just told me minutes ago. (This is also what I was reporting in my explusive post, Moguls Supposed To Present A Better Offer To Writers At Talks Today.) I've learned the AMPTP presented the WGA with "new terms involving streaming, made-for, Internet, and other issues". The networks and studios are claiming that WGA requested a suspension in the talks until Tuesday December 4th to study the new proposals. My sources say this came as something of a surprise to the moguls' side because their negotiating team was "ready to keep bargaining through the weekend". On the other hand, the AMPTP side finally presented the terms with so much fanfare that it really surprised the WGA negotiators who'd been increasingly doubful they'd ever see anything new. But let's not be overly optimistic or naive, either. The big questions now are: Are these truly "new" proposals or just newly packaged "old" proposals? And are they good enough to get this strike settled by Christmas?
Let's hope...
- Moguls Supposed To Present A Better Offer To Writers At Talks Today
- Talks Day #3 'Stalemated'
- Talks Day #2 Still Friendly But Unproductive; "Game Of Chicken"
- Talks Day #1 Productive; "Reasonableness Ruled The Day"
- Dare We Hope A Deal Has Been Struck...?
- Talks Restarted At Agent Bryan Lourd's Home After Weeks Of Quiet Backchannel
- LET'S STRIKE A DEAL! Both Sides Agree To Go Back Into Talks
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No 90 minute cock tease waiting for the news, nikki? You going soft on us?
Dec 4? Why can’t they review tomorrow and get back to talks on Saturday?
Why is the WGA breaking off talks? Are they quick writers but slow readers?
Keep talking while you study it. Don’t leave the room. You are talking to the people who can answer questions.
Do writers have to picket the WGA to keep the Guild talking?
Why is the WGA stretching things out? I’ve heard of the war on Christmas. This is war on Christmas bonuses.
We’re out of work. Settle this now.
At this point we should really just focus on Christmas. The Strike will not be resolved before the 25th and I’d rather just relax and enjoy the holidays. Let these guys hammer it out and we can all get back to FAO Schwartz for a little bargain hunting.
I’ll be curious to see what the proposal is.
I know jack about writing and producing, but new media?
Good job, WGA, backing off once you had the offer.
(What can I say, I’m pro-balls.)
Nice! Real, concrete good news. I’m going to stay cautiously hopeful. At least this is the first sign they might actually be negotiating in good faith, so let’s please at least try to keep the killjoy-ing within limits, okay? It’s not a solution, but it’s progress. I’ll take it.
Can we now finally stop whomever on here is beating the tired old drum of “force majeur?”
The game is so much bigger than letting go a few million in overall deals that didn’t turn out so great.
The companies have realized, as has the guild, that we must end this, and soon, or we will all suffer enormous losses that cannot be made up.
Seriously, let’s try to be patient because now, for the first time, we are actually negotiating. We aren’t being asked to pretend that the kooky interweb the kids are all so crazy about is no way to make real money.
It sounds as if everyone is acknowledging that the net is the way all content will soon be delivered, and trying to reason out how best to fairly compensate creatives, using the old models of syndication and DVD (or video) as the template.
It actually won’t be an easy task, but now everyone is focused on figuring it out, with reason, and at least the pretense of respect, which is, let’s face it, as good as it will get at this point.
Smart management, finally, from the companies. Let’s make sure that the writers don’t get caught up in playing the victims. We’ve won the PR war, it turns out that yes, we’re the ones who can entertain. Our videos are funnier and smarter than their non-existent videos.
The AMPTP and the WGA don’t actually, at this point, have the option of divorcing each other. It doesn’t matter if we truly like or trust each other. It’s just about numbers.
Now let’s focus on being boring businesspeople, and making a reasonable deal.
“Why is the WGA breaking off talks?”
They’re not, idiot.
I hope the WGA makes a statement explaining the suspension of talks. I get they need time for review, but I say lock the door and through away the key until these boys emerge with a resolution – around the clock hammering is in order. That super union AMPTP( make no mistake they are a union) will wag their collective finger saying WGA slowed the process down – AMPTP is ready to deal. The clock is ticking on force majeure and the ill will is mounting as more lay offs are coming down this Friday and the merchandisers keep reminding us to get into the holiday spirit. Before Christmas is tomorrow as far as I’m concerned. Let’s get a fair deal and all of us can go back to work and then go shopping.
Semper Fi
Jeez. Going back on Monday wouldn’t kill the WGA? I don’t see why they don’t just try to plow through and get this done. I’d give them tomorrow to review this with talks to resume on Saturday at the latest.
Some of us don’t have the wiggle room to drag this out any further.
My theory: Talks are being called off to cancel the press blackout so the WGA can discuss the proposals openly if they’re worth taking or debate them openly if they’re not.
Interesting that they had a press statement ready to release right after they announced their proposal… Seems to me they had this whole thing planned to go down exactly like this. Hopefully they actually presented something of value as opposed to making an empty gesture in an attempt to turn the tide of the PR war.
AMPTP’s site words it, “…while we strongly preferred to continue talks…”
I thought there was supposed to be a news blackout on the talks. Why is the AMPTP issuing statements?
Nice press release, AMPTP. So has this press blackout been downgraded to a brownout…?
How is this a media blackout?
I thought neither side was supposed to talk.. especially with official releases.
Nice artwork! I bet Drudge is so jealous of your triple alarm bell thingy! His siren is so ‘06 now.
Comment by Family Guy
“At this point we should really just focus on Christmas. The Strike will not be resolved before the 25th and I’d rather just relax and enjoy the holidays. Let these guys hammer it out and we can all get back to FAO Schwartz for a little bargain hunting.”
How nice for you to be able to take the month off! I guess it is this kind of backbone that gain repsect for the rest of those “below the line.
how can they put out a press release when there is a media blackout?
What happened to the “Media Blackout?” Anyone forgetting that the AMPTP called for it? Why do they get to make an annoucement when they finally get off their duffs and do something?
Uh, isn’t there supposed to be a news blackout?
Nice press release…
I am now concerned, as all striking writers should be. this is nicely worded…concilitory. We run the risk of looking like the pissy ones now…and may have made a mistake taking “the weekend.” There’s a time to let go of your egos and work for those of us who’ve been pounding the pavement. This is the first round that looks like it’s going to the producers…
and that makes me nervous.
wgaStriker
The AMPTo statement and numbers are lies — want proof, well weren’t they supposed to have a press blackout — which they have of course renegaded on in order to get out the first propaganda. — there’s an honest broker in the room now. Brian Lourd, Nicki you should check the veracity of the offer and the statement with him. This disinformation will last for the few hours it takes to put foward what really went on today. And it was the MPTP who said they needed until tuesday.
Greg Teer
There are two sides to every story, and the AMPTP’s side is usually a lie. Let’s wait until the official Guild response before we start speculating…
I love how they throw numbers around like they mean a damn thing without seeing the terms. Do they really think the public is that gullible?
Is the public that gullible?
Everyone take a deep breath, relax. Much better. Before we go leaping to conclusions, let’s wait and see what the offer is. We have to trust our guild leadership to respond intelligently, as I’m sure they will. One major caution. It’s entirely possible that AMPTP has made a poor offer in hopes of confusing the public and causing fracture within the guild. This is no time to lose our resolve. Or our heads.
Isn’t there a media blackout in place? The fact they released a statement, praising their own proposal seems fishy and underhanded at best…
Meanwhile, the moguls will give themselves another payrise of about $10 million.
With the late presentation in regards to new media, it makes sense to take a calm rational look at the proposal.
pb, measure twice, cut once when cutting new wood.
Calm down. My gut says there’s a good chance this is more PR bullshit
Writers have been complaining for weeks that “WE didn’t walk away from negotiations — the Producers did!”
Then they get an offer that — from outside appearances — seems fair. If nothing else, there’s no denying it’s a big step forward.
The WGA response? Give us a week.
Maybe the WGA doesn’t understand — PEOPLE ARE OUT OF WORK BECAUSE OF YOUR DECISION TO WALK.
Is the proposal written in Ancient Sanskrit? Figure it out, people. Read the damn thing. Maybe try working through the weekend. If the deal sucks, you should know it right away. If the deal doesn’t suck — you’d better sign the damn thing on Tuesday.
(non-)Working Hollywood is counting on you to end this.
Merry Christmas from a below-the-line crew member who is out of work by the time you get back to the table.
I don’t get this 3 day or 6 week thing. When a show first airs on TV there is a finite number of potential viewers. It airs in a specific time slot for only that designated time period until it’s made available to view again. For something like this to work on the internet you’d have to make the show available in a first run phase, take it down and make it available later for a residual phase.
There are no repeats for streaming content though-each view is unique. The internet is global and available 24/7, the potential number of viewers is everyone in the world who has a computer and internet access. The show should be made available indefinitely and you get a flat percentage per view.
People need to stop trying to apply the TV model to the internet, it’s a whole different animal.
Gotta admire good old Variety. Headline:
“Writers Balk in Talks”
I understand taking Friday as a break from talks. I understand that WGA teams are probably working through the weekend to dissect the proposal.
What I don’t understand is what they are doing on Monday.
This was an opportunity for the WGA leadership to make a huge statement. Come back first thing Monday morning and declare the proposal crap, or announce that they’re bringing it to the membership.
When this is all done (hopefully next week), I’d LOVE to hear a REAL reason why they needed the extra day. Cos let’s face it — that basically kills any chance of crew members returning to work next week.
Both sides need to get this worked out and let the rest of us get back to work.
Well, I admire how the AMPTP played this — three days of buildup, accompanied by strategic press leaks, followed by a splashy release of a cheery-sounding counterproposal. It’s not just a set of numbers — it’s a New Economic Partnership(TM)! (Since when do offers at the table have brand names? Has the WGA missed out on something here? Should their offers have each had a special name? The Very Reasonable Offer, Son of the Very Reasonable Offer, The Very Reasonable Offer III: We Can’t Believe You Still Haven’t Given us Digital, etc.) And I admire the AMPTP’s strategy in giving it a name — the New Economic Partnership(TM) has a ring of finality, a take-it-or-leave-it quality that a simple counteroffer wouldn’t have. They played the week well — they rolled this proposal out like it was “Cloverfield”.
Now the question is, what’s in TNEP(TM)? Is that $130 million figure for real? And, just as important, where’s that money located? Is it in areas that are going to grow, like digital? Or is it in areas that are shrinking? I’m as anxious to get back to work as anyone. But I don’t want to jump on this offer till it’s been thoroughly studied, because I don’t want to get stuck with a lousy deal for the next 20 years. And if it takes four days to parse it, so be it.
The 4 days is to read the proposal, understand the language, and make a counter. Rushing it would cause mistakes. I’ll give them the time it takes to make it right and as bullet-proof as possible.
Looking forward to the 4th.
I suppose the WGA could study the deal faster than 4 days but then the AMPTP wouldn’t be able to kill your career with force majeure and get so busy with DGA negotiations to sit down with the WGA.
Let’s snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Drag it out.
Give them the four days to read the proposal, dissect the numbers, and come up with a counter strike.
I’m willing to not rush and make mistakes like in the past.
Looking forward to the 4th!
Anything to stop the YouTube videos
‘New Economic Partnership’… anything this nobly titled can only be bs. it’s going to be a long cold winter.
I’ll wait to hear back from our Guys. I wish they (WGA) put a team together to go over this tonight so we can get a better sense of what the AMPTP’s first lowball offer is. We really don’t need all this time to go over the numbers. And that AMPTP “Statement” seems more a PR move than anything else.
Don’t get fooled, they have a strategy in place…
If the bulletin the WGA just sent out is anywhere close to believable (and I have no reason to think otherwise), we are barely any closer to a resolution than we were a month ago.
- $250 for unlimited online reuse of TV
- $0.00 for unlimited online reuse of film
No internet jurisdiction.
No DVD increases.
See you on the picket lines Monday… and January… and probably beyond… hope that ‘force majeur’ is worth losing this season and next.
I think somebody’s might be in need of an update. Have you taken a look at the e-mail the WGA just sent to the membership
FORCE MAJUER. I told you guys. Seriously, learn already. I know what I’m talking about.
Go, Verrone.
If it were me, I’d call this a “no”.
“Media Blackouts” and “Gag orders” only create rumors and obfuscate the truth.
How about we are all adults. Tell us what is going on.
do all you writers wear tinfoil hats? or is it just the poor ones?
BAD NEWS – The Strike Continues.
http://www.unitedhollywood.com
If this doesn’t end soon I’m going to have to find an on strike writer and move in (I hope you all have nice homes and extra sleeping space.) ALOT of us are on our last savings and without the lecture about you’re evil, no you’re evil, no your not giving us what we want – whatever -
Do I want to move in with a mogul? Sure, I don’t care I WANT TO WORK AND PAY MY RENT & BILLS.
Save the guild/AMPTP party line for someone who still cares…
I get any work, reality/anything, I’ll cross the damn picket line. I wonder if it is possible to file a class action suit ending this crap – “we as the suffering parties demand monetary damages and punitive punishments.” hmmmmm
The producers claim they’re offering $130 million a year increase. The WGA says what they are asking for amounts to $151 million over three years ($50 million a year). Clearly someone’s math is off here.
Language of AMPTP release smacks of touchy-feely Hill and Knowlton arsenic candy. ‘Groundbreaking’ offer? Maybe if by ‘groundbreaking’ they mean the result of a gravedigger’s shovel…
yeah what the heck is up with the 130 million vs. 151 million discrepency??? Knock knock? Who’s there? MISERABLE PESSIMISM…
The WGA just received a detailed proposal with a lot of legalese in it. They are doing what any wise entity does in such a negotiation – giving their legal team a sleepless weekend.
Oh, and Ang Li Cru – They’re taking the weekend, plus a Friday and Monday. That’s only two business days. Given that this is first real New Media deal for the WGA, and given how badly they frakked the ferret with VHS and DVD, it seems reasonable and prudent for the legal team to have the weekend to work on it, the WGA team some time on Monday to hear their analysis and talk it over, and a night to sleep on it before going back to the table Tuesday.
I don’t know that that’s their exact process, but you get my point.
So “New Economic Partnership” means “We get to make a crapload of money off your work on the internet. You get $250.00. Thanks for playing.”
Thanks. I’ll pass. How about dropping the Orwellian BS and giving us a real offer?
I hear banjo music.
The AMPTP is not going to settle until after the new year…don’t do anymore black out and continue to picked Wall Street and those Stores. Go to Congress and sue them like Sumner is suing youtube.
The producers don’t think you can last til the Sag talks…
But you are making progress with the advertizers and if you continue to be vocal and let the public know how greedy the bastards are…this is about Union busting. Pure and simply….to IATSEA stop whinning you knew the strike was coming…so buck up!
To quote our Deadline Hollywood Daily host Sista Toldja… Toldja! I toldja last week that they’re Lucy and they’re gonna pull the football away again. The AMPTP is back at the table to divert the guild leadership away from strategizing on how to shut down tv and then film production, WHICH IS THE NUMBER ONE THING WE NEED TO BE DOING, and instead the guild leadership has to spend all their time in negotiations and reviewing proposals. Plus, they are trying to get the showrunners back in to get at least another episode of every show by acting like they’ve returned to the tables in good faith. It’s time for all those militant tactics that David Young told us he used in his previous gigs, and sooner rather than later.
I’m starting to strongly suspect that some of these hysterical comments by distraught ‘crew members’ are actually being posted by flacks for AMPTP.
Hey, Ang Li Cru, go do what every other “rich” writer is doing. Wait on tables. I’m getting sick of production people blaming the writers for them losing their jobs. I’m not getting paid a buck on my studio deals, so I’m in the same boat, pal. Pass the gruel.
I was afraid this would all turn out to be AMPTP bullshit and no, I guess we see it was.
Seriously, it’s time to try to drag the mogul’s asses into a senate hearing. These guys are trying to break this and every other union and it’s starting to get to a point where the writers are going to assume a scorched earth policy. The AMPTP still doesn’t seem to take us seriously. We have to change that. It’s time to start calling for the viewers to boycott the networks in incredibly tight targeted manner. Tonight it’s “don’t watch CBS night” etc. Maybe it’s time to make them realize the public is still behind us, which, despite the shills who keep popping up on the site, I believ they are.
jeff at 6:09 is right
I never want to receive another letter from Patric Verrone again. A pox on all their houses. Christ.
And that’s $250 for an hour long show. I’m sure it’s half that for half-hour.
The real offer better come before Christmas or it’s bye-bye this TV season and the next.
Hope you all want to watch the CW’s upcoming reality show “Farmer Wants a Wife” because that’s all you’re going to get. Yee-haw, we get to watch UPN go bankrupt again!
We’re all riding up and down so wildly with each new press release. All the people who were asking “Why four days?” now have their answer — because there’s nothing on the table to work with. Breaking things off turns out to have been a wise idea. It’s time to trust the negotiating team — to trust that they know what they’re doing and aren’t either going to sell us down the river OR stonewall in the face of a reasonable offer (which hasn’t even remotely come up yet). As much as we want this thing to be over, we can’t get too excited ’til we hear “Yep, this is it, guys!” or else we’re going to exhaust ourselves.
I say let’s really come out in force on Monday — picket the crap out of all our locations and show them we’re not backing down and we’re not going away. We havve the courage of our convictions, maternal-unit-fornicators!
It’s time to put this all in perspective. Disney paid Ovitz $140 mil in severance for 15 months’ work and that was a few years ago. Take the yearly bonuses of the top 3 guys at each conglom and it would be way beyond what the Guild is asking for.
This is what America’s become. Executive pay, which once bore a reasonable relationship to worker salaries, is now obscenely off the charts. And yet, so many are anti-union.
One of the most disheartening aspects of the strike is to hear writer/actor/guild bashing from BTLs.
If you have such utter contempt for your co-workers, why not work in construction?
The only way we’ll counter the congloms is to stick together.
I hate to hear about anyone losing a job, but remember that more Guild members are out-of-work than working at any given time. For us, these residual streams are essential for our livelihood. For most, they’re not a luxury!
The new ‘groundbreaking’ deal is a rollback? I’m just going to assume that someone’s math is off. See, we do need math because this is one of the times they need to use it.
I am not a “shill” for either the AMPTP or the WGA.
Wait on tables? Wow, that’s supportive, shouldn’t the Guild be working on the disparity between “poor writers … waiting on tables…” and “Rich Writers (who eat at those restaurants where the ‘poor’ writers work.)
Bottom line, if this strike continues there won’t BE any restaurants hiring, nor will there be a television season worth watching, NOR will there be any re-coupment of loses for all concerned. All concerned is inclusive of Poor Writers, Rich Writers and the Production Staff/Crew who are irritating your poor conscience…
So, at which restaurant are you working? I’d like to get a free meal – but I don’t have a WGA card.
The funny thing is, the more they dick us around, the stronger my emotions get. I’ll walk all damn day – my body’s used to it now.
And, ultimately, who cares that much about picketing? What matters is they aren’t getting my work.
But it will be interesting when they piss away TV 08 and have to go to the upfronts with nothing. Once those ad dollars go, they’re not coming back. They can’t lose that.
See y’all in June…
Jeanette:
Why do you assume all crew/staff is IATSE?
You know, I’m not a guild writer, so I don’t really reap in any of these benefits – however, I’m on the side of the writers and I have to say that the producers deal is a load of crap. $1300 per 15 minute web original content? And what if that little 15 minute short becomes a TV series or movie?
If I hear one more “This strike is going to last months/until the studios decide it’s going to end”, I’m going to scream. If that’s true, then is it really worth everything that’s going to be lost? Could you not have planned this any better, done anything so that this isn’t just screaming at a brick wall and then coming here to whine? However, I don’t think it’s true. You have leverage. Lock the AMPTP in a room and tell them it’s either a fair deal or court. Coming here to bitch and moan and berate others about hoping the strike can be resolved quickly does nothing more or less than being optimistic. GET OFF YOUR ASSES AND PLAY HARDBALL. You can grumble and point fingers about how you’d be happy to work but the AMPTP won’t. They’re asses. They’re thick, ignorant, selfish morons. We KNOW that. But in what you’re saying you don’t sound any better, not to the general public. And maybe they are full of idiots, but they’re the ones who’ve got your backs right now. (Those last two words are the key ones) You *can* do something. Screw how drastic it is, there are lives on the line. Take it to court, bring it before the world, berate them until they cave. Yes, it’s easier to say instead of do, but if you don’t do, you should never have started this damn strike in the first place because we’re all going to be screwed out of a lot more than what you’re trying to get. I’ve heard it all already. No more excuses. Do something. I love you, WGA, but this is exactly what I was afraid was going to happen. Your support won’t last forever, and bitching about people being naive won’t change that. Like it or not, you’re the ones who have to take the measures. So do it. If you do, you can get what you deserve. Otherwise, we’ll all get nothing.
The studios have just shot themselves in the foot. It will take them awhile to realize it, but their hubris is a sign of weakness, not strength.
Solidarity.
Keep in mind that this is a negotiation. AMPTP lowballs, WGA counters and it goes back and forth until eventually everyone finds a number that doesn’t make anyone happy and they agree to it.
Stop being such drama queens. This is what negotiating is all about. Corporation submits a lowball offer they know won’t be accepted…workers badmouth that offer and come back with high offer they know won’t be accepted…corporation badmouths that offer and submits slightly higher offer than last time hoping maybe it’ll get some traction….workers badmouth that offer and submit slightly lower offer than last time…lather, rinse, repeat until there’s a deal neither side likes, but can live with.
I’m begging you people, for just one week, take the part of the day that you’re not picketing and read up on business negotiating tactics, union/corporation negotiations, and things like that. If anything, it’ll keep you from the daydream good vs. evil fantasy land you seem to be living in where you run these guys in front of the Senate or some such nonsense.
It’s a business negotiation…this is how these things work.
Hey, BTL people
Not even going to try to reason with you about how railing against the writers is misguided, or how we all know our jobs are always precarious in this business be it from strikes, show cancellations, etc
However, the more you rant against the writers, the longer YOU are prolonging this strike. AMPTP is counting on BTL to pressure writers into caving into a bad deal.
The more you rant against writers, the more AMPTP believes (wrongly) that their tactic of using you against the writers is working and they will continue to prolong this strike.
The bad PR has taken AMPTP down. Rant against the AMPTP and contribute to their bad PR. That will help expedite this strike.
A and Screenvet,
Does anyone really believe that posts from crew members are fake. These people are hurt and pissed and make a tiny fraction of what the writers make and they are going to lose their houses and have a horrible Christmas/Holiday Season. I know you aren’t crying any tears for them because you think you are fighting the good fight. But you ARE NOT in the same boat so at least show a little sympathy. The crew members don’t even have a dingy, let alone a boat. You don’t deserve a single honk from the teamsters who will eventually be dragged down with you as well.
I was feeling some solidarity with the writers but posts like that just make me want to throw up all over your bags of money. The only writers eating gruel and waiting tables are the ones that weren’t working already and they deserve sympathy too. Poor baby isn’t getting paid on his Studio Deal. Waa Waah. It’s a good thing you guys are posting anonymously because you would have a lot of spit in your craft service and special ingredients in your lunches from the PA’s if you do work again. Ahhhh, Force Majure! Finally it has an upside.
The new “deal” is as shitty as the old. They obviously don’t know Bowman has an MBA from Harvard and might actually figure out their fancy numbers and formulas.
Sigh.
Strike on.
Solidarity.
I read a comment here a few days ago. At the time I thought ….. paranoid fantasy.
The gist… The AMPTP would return to the talks and table a rehash, an insult.
Purpose?
Force the WGA to walk again.
Then trumpet it to swing a 360 on the negative PR Tsunami effectively vaporizing the WGA’s public support. AND, as an added bonus, use the breakdown as an excuse to toss Counter under the bus.
I keep hearing the opening fanfare for Highway Patrol … Broderick Crawford? … Never mind.
Okay, gut check time everyone. This is a shitty ‘deal’ offered by the companies. They’re putting lipstick on a pig. And I’m sorry that that means we’ll be walking in circles for a long time, but I, for one, haven’t been sacrificing my time and paycheck to be paid LESS in the future.
To those of you whining about ‘not being able to make it much longer or you’ll be hungry or lose your house or whatever, again, I’m sorry. This thing has a long way to go and if you thought it would all be resolved in less than four weeks, you simply didn’t plan ahead. Very few of us can afford to live without a regular paycheck, but come on, one month out of work and your crying about losing your houses? Sounds like you’re worse at numbers and math than the AMPTP.
No, this is gonna go on well into January and probably February. The way I see it, the companies have no real motiviation to resolve this until then. But there is hope in February. See, these companies can’t go to the May upfronts and say, ’sorry, no new shows this year. Take your advertising dollars and save them for mid-season ‘08.’ When they realize that the Guild’s resolve is strong, we will win this thing. In the mean time, listen to your strike captain and strap it on. We’re gonna be marching for a while. I don’t like it any better than the rest of you, but do you really want to walk away empty-handed or worse after 3 1/2 weeks? I thought not.
They’ll wait for force majeure to kick in and then make a deal before the end of the year. The studios can claim a victory — they saved lots of money by cutting development deals — and the Guilds can claim one too.
Long term, the studios are going through all this hassle so SAG and the DGA see how beat up the writers got and don’t ask for as much when their turn comes up. If SAG asks for a lot, the studios lose real money.
I’ve only been in the guild for about six months — so I don’t claim to know a lot — but I honestly can’t believe that people are that surprised by this latest news. Namely, because:
1) Put yourself in the studio’s shoes for a minute –fat cat imagery aside. You just had a union walk away from your proposal on the table, and run an effective and strong strike for three weeks following. If you were a studio would you really run right back to the negotiating table and give the union everything they wanted? I think not. You don’t want to look like a foolish weakling in front of your shareholders, or to other unions for that matter, lest the DGA and SAG negotiations become equally disastrous. It’s only logical to (even if there is a better proposal locked away in some closet) stretch it out for a couple more weeks, if not longer.
2) Go back to work before Christmas? Really? Not that I wouldn’t be jumping with the joy of the holiday spirit if we did, but again –logically it doesn’t make too much sense. TV show supports staffs have been, for the most part, laid off. Why go through the trouble of doing start paperwork for them a few weeks before the end of the fiscal year? Not to mention the erratic scheduling of working two weeks, and then having two off. January would seem like the most “natural” time to get back to work.
3) I know it’s a tired old song — but force majeur also sounds like viable motivation to me.
Still logic aside — I hope this thing doesn’t drag too long into the new year…
clear to everybody now that the WGA negs are in over their heads?…can this be a surprise when we’re led by the same people who failed to deliver on reality and animation despite the rhetoric?…and then got sandbagged into giving up the DVD percentage on the last day of pre-strike talks?…it’s one thing to organize a strike and another to pull off a deal…which is what we need them to do…
Below the Line: No offense, but you’re playing right into the hands of the people we should be united against. There’s no point in writers and below-the-line getting into a pissing match over who’s poorer or blaming the WGA for the disparity between rich writers and poor writers. The fact of the matter is that corporate position is indefensible and the only tool the studios have is to try to shift blame for the strike onto the writers, a position that too many people seem too eager to accept. Writers have just as much of a right to fight for a fair contract as everyone else.
IMO, if the WGA memo is correct, then this deal sucks and as much as it hurts me to say, I hope they don’t take it. You want to be pissed off at someone, that’s great, you should be — but we should be focusing our anger on the corporations, not each other. I’d post more, but I have to be up early tomorrow. For a job interview.
As a below the line IATSE member who will be unemployed after next week because my showrunner won’t cross the lines, my support remains with the WGA. The WGA must not accept a subpar contract. At this point they are fighting for all of our futures. I will find a way to pay my bills, or I will go deeper into debt, but I still support the strike. We all knew that this was a strong possibility, so those that didn’t bother to have a strike fund have made their own beds. Good luck to all.
This strike was doomed from the start because what Verrone is asking for isn’t nearly enough. You WGA members need to up your demands by a very large amount and prepare for a one year long strike or fold now and go back to work so all the below the line people can pay their bills.
The Guild strategy is pathetically weak. They are lousy negotiators. They should be asking for ten times the amount they are currently begging for. Since they don’t have the guts to do this they are between a rock and a hard place and they put themselves there. Lousy leadership for the Guild and perfect low-ball stonewalling by the Congloms.
You Guild members need to decide this weekend what you want. Are you willing to walk the picket lines for an entire year or longer to get real results? If not it’s time to take the bad deal and try again three or four years from now. Sorry to be so harsh but these are your choices. It’s time to wake up and get real.
People are being hurt by your strike and the studios and networks don’t care about them. They will stonewall forever if they have to in order to focus the blame on the Guild’s leaders. So make up your collective mind. If you want real profits then you have to be willing to stay on strike for another 10 or 11 months.
So at this point they’re arguing over $21 million dollars over 3 years?
How many millions are being lost each day the strike goes on?
Think people!
Below the line, there are a vast number of BTL people supporting us because they realize that if the AMPTP gets away with the crap they are trying on us, they’ll be next. Metaphorically, there are vast number of Americans who’ve watched corporate nabobs rape this country, steal the pensions of workers, engorge themselves and even reward screwing up with golden parachutes that would make Midas choke with envy. But the writers, the people who are thought of as almost Hobits by most of the world, the nerdy, fat, skinny, mushroom-complexioned nebishy writers are standing up and saying “enough is enough.” Sure there are some amazingly rich writers, but you know what? Compared to the renumeration the heads of studios get, writers, even the richest, are peons.
We’re sorry as hell if other people get hury but again and again, WE’VE been ready to negotiate since day one. We aren’t the ones firing the weakest people on the food chain. We didn’t hand out pink slips, we didn’t put actors on hiatus, we haven’t threatened the showrunners with lawyers letters and we won’t invoke force maguere.
If you want to get mad, join us on the line. There’s lots of anger to go around.
Why is the WGA leadership not learning anything from the Democrats of yesteryear (and next year)? Being right isn’t going to win crap. Neither is picketing, though it may keep outsiders mildly impressed that writers are not all on vacation.
And when do the writers stop getting vaguely patronizing emails from their leadership and start getting a real breakdown of how the discrepancy between the amptp’s +130 million dollars and the guild’s -150 million dollars works out?
It’s sad that it seems that all the WGA can do is react. And, if they’re doing more, they should clue the public in.
Finally, the below the liners need to finally accept what they don’t want to face: they have jobs in this business because a writer thought up something that created their job. Period.
Knew it. Pat’s letter is disconcerting at the very least. Seems like they just repackaged the Nov proposal. It’s shoddy. It’s bullshit. It’s so transparent it’s pathetic. All this for nothing.
See you in June, dickheads…
After We
1) Block your proposed reversal of the FCC Regs to Consolidate your Monopolies.
That’ll cost you a few Billion over three years.
2)Sue you for the false accounting of our project income statements to deprive us of our residuals.
That’s at least a Billion, collectively…
Keep it up. Maybe you can figure out a way to make yourselves obsolete by June too.
I think the showrunners should just bind together and do what the Quarterlife folks did. Start a bunch of webisodes and then turn the studios back into distributors.
“- $250 for unlimited online reuse of TV”
Because, you know, it’s not like there’s actually any advertising revenue on the internet.
That is… crushingly disappointing.
Really, Tuesday instead of Monday seems like it won’t make much of a difference, since with this offer- it’s gonna be a while. It seems the AMPTP don’t even want to cede a low percentage, which would be treating internet revenue like DVD and theatrical revenue and so on. And since that’s sort of the key issue, well, here we are.
Even “0.01%” would have been a starting point, this is nothing.
‘I’m told WGA negotiators are still waiting for the other “half” of the AMPTP’s New Media proposals’? So does this mean the Guild walked away without getting all the proposal? What’s to think about? Get back in the room!
Zero dollars for a year of streaming of feature films???
$250 dollars for a year of streaming an episode of television???
Just this morning I read in Variety that Netflix and NBC Universal have entered into a partnership to sell episodes of Heroes online the day after they air. The site is going to stream them.
Here’s the link: http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117976691.html?categoryid=14&cs=1
And here’s a quote from the article: “For NBC, the Netflix deal is the third prong in its off-network “Heroes” strategy, which gives the online movie rental service the exclusive subscription video-on-demand rights to the show.”
“This deal reflects the changing landscape of the entertainment marketplace and our objective of finding new buyers that complement our traditional customers,” said NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution exec VP-general sales manager Frances Manfredi.
Yegads, studios, you are in the press trumpeting the new ways that you are making money off “new buyers” and yet you offer 250 dollars A YEAR to compensate writers for this??
Here’s what’s shocking to me. If the producers are saying they will outlay 130 million a year, and the writers are saying the producers need to outlay 50 million a year, whichever one is right can only say one thing to me.
Are you shitting me?
The dueling math in the press releases is beyond bizarre, but for the moment let’s move past that. Either amount, spread over all of the studios, is a hilarious pittance. Far, far, far more than that has already been lost by the strike by the companies.
Is this a bad dream, a lame joke? We cannot possibly have arrived at this place over such small amounts of money.
When you are talking about network advertisers (a 45 BILLION dollar a year business!) for the first time in history considering asking for cash back instead of make goods because the eyeballs are not there, AND potentially no product to show to them at upfronts, it seems insane to me that the companies would actually risk all of that for either 130 million a year or 50 million a year DIVIDED UP BY ALL THE STUDIOS.
Unless someone has misplaced a zero in those numbers, this seems like a bad, bad, bad joke. Does anyone here know what a big difference there is between a million and a billion?
Put it in perspective. 130 million is the production budget of one failed tentpole picture. 50 million is only 15 million more than the production budget for the currently failing low-budget “Lions for Lambs.”
And that’s shared over every studio in town?
Seriously, tell me we aren’t ruining people’s lives and potentially destroying an entire industry over what amounts to pennies in the agregate.
And please, please please for God’s sake stop going on and on about Force Majeur. We’ve already established that the amount of contracts that they might care to get out of is also TINY in comparison to the lost revenue. What a boring red herring that is.
They’ve already lost more revenue on advertising on the downed late shows than what we’re talking about here.
Wake me when this is over. Brian Lourd, please, please get these people to end this psychodrama and maybe bring in a pocket calculator while you’re at it. I don’t care who didn’t get hugged as a child, make this a real negotiation and let’s be done with this.
If these numbers are even close to accurate Wall Street must be laughing their asses off. According to the Wall Street Journal, the major companies involved here have already lost way more than the amount discussed in the drop in their stock prices since this started.
I hope this is the convoluted third act plot twist before the happy ending.
Why is the AMPTP waiting to hand over half of their proposal? Why don’t they hand it over now?
Sorry, but the numbers make no sense. The WGA says its proposal will cost $ 151 million over three years==call it 50 million and change a year. The AMPTP says their offer is $ 130 million “above and beyond the $ 1.3 billion the writers receive each year.” If the $ 130 million is “each year,” it is far richer than the WGA proposal. The numbers make no sense.
Something tells me it is the AMPTP that is fudging their numbers, anyone want to bet I am wrong?
How can WGA write an email saying the AMPTP offer is a joke and then still take 4 days to analyze it?
How can the WGA call these “ROLLBACKS”? We may not have gotten the deal they wanted yet, but this term is deceptive and manipulative. They are only rollbacks compared to broadcast rates and the WGA cannot expect these rates for online work where the ad rates are much lower. While the AMPTPs deal is very low, it is something. Call it a very low offer and move forward with the negotiations. Simply engaging in a manipulative war of words that uses deceptive language will lose the WGA the upper hand they have had with the public and its membership. We must keep the public’s trust on our side through honesty and a willingness to quiet the rhetoric and get down to the business of striking a deal.
Very simple.
If people can access a second showing of a TV show over the Internet as well as on TV, it’s a short step to simply not repeating it on TV. Because people can watch it on the Internet.
Voila. Instant rollback.
Interesting…Variety has yanked the “Writers Balk in Talks” headline on their website (still shows up in their search engine but the article doesn’t say that any more)…I wonder if they’ve been taking heat over their visibly slanted coverage?