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I’ve just learned that the federal mediator has called the surprised parties together for a meeting on Sunday at 10 am to avert Monday’s writers strike.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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Jesus, people. The flippant remarks about the mediator are downright ignorant. The Bush regime sickens me, but mediators are bound by law to attempt… to the best of their abilities… to be impartial. Their only agenda is to mediate between the parties. They’re not all agents for the Bush-Cheney cabal.
Ideally, the mediator should have been summoned several weeks ago — not the day before the contract was due to expire.
I’m a writer, and I undertand tempers are flaring, but don’t fabricate conspiracies that don’t exist.
No, but Nikki recounts the fact that the WGA and AMPTP held a session in the middle of October at WGA’s place, but Nick Counter brought way more people than he thought he would bring and that led to a wasted session. The federal mediator was trying to get both sides to bargain in good faith for over a week, and this is one last attempt by him to do so before the strike begins. All this was is to stop the strike before it hurts either side. Based on what happened the last few weeks, the WGA can take the AMPTP to court in order to get a full shutdown of Television and Movies and the federal mediator will testify on WGA’s behalf. Due to Nick Counter’s actions AMPTP is fighting a losing battle on behalf of the networks and studios.
At this point, it’s no longer about the WGA’s demands – it’ll be about the DGA’s. Since the AMPTP hasn’t been able to reach the deal it wants with the writers, it will now most likely focus on making a deal with the directors. The premise being that the first group to agree to terms will be the group that establishes the “pattern” in this round of bargaining for the other two (SAG being the third group) for the new agreement term.
I wonder what the DGA’s pattern of demands will look like? Will it include increases in DVD residuals & downloads and Internet jurisdiction terms? Or will the writers end up alone on that branch?
I guess we’ll see in the coming weeks.
At this point, if a settlement is reached tomorrow or even within a couple of days it could look bad for either side…. If AMPTP gives in tomorrow they look like bullies cause it means they were always willing to do so; if WGA gives in tomorrow they look like a bunch of “wusses.” In order for both sides to save face, they almost have to strike. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want a strike. What I hope for is the writers get what they deserve and nothing less. They have always been underappreciated.
My guess is that the federal mediator will try to force an agreement with the writers before going on to the directors.
Apparently they’re planning to shoot 30 Rock on Monday morning as planned, Tina Fey isn’t scheduled to be in front of the camera. The SAG people have been told to come in as scheduled no matter what (I’m guessing the no matter what means cross any picket line at Silvercup Studios, though this was never said.) The claim is they can still shoot whatever script has been left for them. As long as the SAG people do nothing to help with the writing, they can work. I’m confused. I thought something like this wasn’t suppose to happen if there’s a strike. If there’s no picket line, does that mean shooting as usual? If there’s a picket line, and the teamsters choose not to cross, is that it for shooting?
Actor wannabe (who has friends who may or may not work tomorrow)
If the Teamsters don’t cross the line, that is it for shooting and the AMPTP might as well dissolve the SAG and DAG contracts and lock them out as of right now.