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Here’s what a Warner Bros spoksperson is telling me on the record: “These WARN notices were sent because in certain circumstances federal and California law can require employers to give notice of staffing changes. Due to the ongoing WGA work stoppage, some studio divisions will have to lay off employees. We regret the impact this will have on our employees, and we hope to bring them back to work once the WGA strike ends.”
I’m told that Warner Bros sent ”WARN” letters to the studio’s facilities employees. The studio has to do this by law to put them on notice. My sources say this doesn’t necessarily mean that they will get laid off and it doesn’t mean all of them will. Also, it’s possible that layoffs would be temporary. But people who’ve seen the letters say those laid off will be notified on Monday. It also says the studio won’t guarantee that those laid off will be rehired after the strike. In any case, it’s rotten news. Which is why Warner Bros and the AMPTP need to get back to negotiating!
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And so the fight for middle class money begins in earnest.
Since none of the execs who are forcing this strike would even consider taking a pay cut to save some jobs, they will threaten to layoff their middle class employees.
A cheaper company car? I think not. Fly business class instead of first class? HA.
Why do regular working people have to pay the price at every turn? Can’t any of these multi-millionaire moguls step up and act like a leader for once? Act like they care?
Sign the stupid contract with the writers already.
Nice that they do this the same day as promoting someone to a fat new paycheck!
AMPTP lay offs to show muscle
WGA cancels the Globes to show muscle
Fine, points are proven
Negotiate already
None of the studio leaders have what it takes to be a leader. neither does the wga. shameful
Jimmy, the companies don’t work for the people, the people work for the companies. Since the heads of these companies ARE the companies, the people work for them. This is what has been accepted by human beings since communities began, there are masters and the mastered. Anybody who sides against Unions (and most people do) is obviously the mastered. As for the rest who don’t want to be mastered, there’s nothing we can do to change that. Not ever.
I agree – let’s focus our energy on getting back to the table…. Putting our energy into bashing executives will get us nowhere…. We need to focus on getting a settlement and getting back to work.
Why isn’t the AMPTP negotiating with the WGA or the DGA? Everyone is tired of taking pennies while they take millions. They don’t care about anyone but themselves. Start laying off the execs! Finally a good use of pink paper.
Sure, blame this on management. They are evil for not taking pay cuts but the WGA is fighting for the little man. Whatever lets you sleep at night. Im sure Verrone flys coach.
Sounds like the studios are getting rid of employees they don’t necessarily want with the added bonus of getting to blame the writers. Warner Bros studio has been the biggest obstacle to getting a deal made. Those who are getting laid off should ask Sumner Redstone to explain himself.
You’d think Warner Bros. would consider the PR of promoting two of their top execs while they are sending out letters of possible layoffs to their workers.
Gotta love Hollywood, U.S.A.!
(Then again, it’s not like the mainstream press will ever really make that connection)
EXACTLY what Jimmy said.
For crying out loud already!!
I feel terrible for the people who are going to lose their jobs, and sympathize with non-writers who feel they are getting screwed. HOWEVER if the writers don’t stand up for their rights now, who is going to??
This fight is much bigger than Hollywood.
For all the writers out there, HANG IN THERE!! There is a lot of support behind you. I pray that you can continue to have the solidarity that has been an asset so far.
Blessings.
Isn’t WB the only studio with a script processing department? And how many WB films are in production right now? Can’t imagine a ton of shooting scripts need to be copied/retyped there at the moment…
Wait. I’m confused — weren’t the studios bragging about how much money they were saving, and how their 4th Quarters were going to be so profitable with the strike? What happened?
Since the moguls are compensated in part based on stock price performance, and the price of all the studios is down, they too have taken a hit.
Then whole industry has had at least a 25% pay cut because of this misguided strike. And only a handful of writers will ever see a benefitwhen it’s over.
Thanks WGA and AMPTP.
I think it’s important that we don’t take any delight in this. They’re nice people, too.
Nick Counter’s another story, though. I hope it hurts when he pees.
Go figure, the little guy is getting screwed again. It’s no different in local tv. Trust me. And we’ve got nothing to do with any of this strike BS.
If the damn producers would just trade in the extra skim double-latte from Starbucks and give the writers what they want, we’d have all this crap fixed. Stupid, greedy producers.
As the corporate boat begins the sink, the first to be thrown out are the children, then the women, then the men, and finally, the CEO goes down with the ship.
A clever and brave ploy indeed!
Another deft and tasteless move by the Execs to put the fault/pressure on the Guild…
I am a development executive at one of the major networks.
I am not now, nor have I ever been a WGA shill, pretending to be a development executive at one of the major networks. Because I would never do that.
My department is in a panic. With no writers, there is no development. We have no meetings to take, no notes to give, no pilots to guide, no series to make better.
It is only a matter of time before we are all fired.
Not one of us believes that what the writers are asking for is unreasonable. I don’t even think the head of the network believes what the writers are asking for is unreasonable — but he says that’s not the point.
He also says David Letterman will burn in Hell and Tom Cruise will burn in wherever Scientologists go to burn.
Did I mention that I am not a WGA shill?
Of course my boss doesn’t care about the writers and the below-the-line people, or even the audience. But he doesn’t care about us, either. We are completely expendable.
I look at this year’s holiday gift to the staff — a hoodie with “One Big Happy Family” stenciled on back — and I weep bitter tears.
The kind of tears that fall from the eyes of an actual network executive, rather than from something other than actual.
The only people on this lot with any job security are the AMPTP trolls.
They get paid minimum wage, but see this as the first step in their screenwriting careers. Unfortunately, I’ve read their spec scripts (they ALL have spec scripts) — don’t quit your day job, fellas!
That’s my professional opinion as a genuine
Network Executive.
Is WB aware they just sent a message to investors that they don’t have sufficient cash to weather the strike? That’s what I took away from their memo. I don’t care how big the future bonuses are at year end. As an investor – WB is saying it’s on shaky ground.
Now, if the CEO had offered to cut pay across the top this year, that’d be worth noting and a sign of good management. But, alas, not to be.
Might be worth watching Wall Street to see if there’s a quiet dump of entertainment stocks as a result of too many poor management decisions.
Any chance Nick Counter works at Warner Brothers and any chance he’s on the short list to be let go?
Ugh. News like this makes me sick to my stomach
I’ve had friends out of work since day 1 – and these are $500 a week production people.
The impact of this strike hits harder and harder for everyone. Would someone just end the ball swinging, close the doors and wrap this up?
Even sadder? Many of the working people of this town, whose lives are being affected more and more, will never, EVER reap benefits from whatever agreement is made.
They’ll be lucky if they have a job waiting for them when this is all over.
“Not one of us believes that what the writers are asking for is unreasonable. I don’t even think the head of the network believes what the writers are asking for is unreasonable — but he says that’s not the point.” –So Help Me God
Well, WTF does he believe the point is, man?
AMPTP could end this in a second. But, noooo…
They just want to keep inflicting pain until someone screams uncle. Period. Special place in Hell set aside for these bastards.
Some of you folks really need a reality check. Where you got the idea that studios would not lay off employees when the work dries up, is beyond me. Thinking that investors will see this as a bad thing is also naive, investors see laying off employees when production is shut down as a good thing.
Laying off the people that maintain an empty studio lot should not be unexpected. I have to wonder if any of you were in business if you wouldn’t do the same thing. It’s an expected outcome of a strike and no one should be surprised by this or reading anything into it other than it’s sad that some more folks will be losing thier jobs because of a strike.