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What's being described as the "final mass picket of the strike" will be held at the Magic Kingdom headquarters on Thursday. I'm sure Bob Iger and Mickey are thrilled. (Picketers, don't forget your mouse ears...)
Last Gasp Picket At Disney Tomorrow?
By Nikki Finke | Wednesday February 6, 2008 @ 5:52pm PST
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Title Studio Gross 1 Alice In Wonderland Disney $62.7 M 2 Green Zone Universal $14.3 M 3 Shes Out Of My Leag Paramount $9.8 M 4 Shutter Island Paramount $8.1 M 5 Remember Me Summit $8.1 M 6 Our Family Wedding Fox $7.6 M 7 Avatar Fox $6.5 M 8 Brooklyns Finest Overture $4.5 M 9 Cop Out Warner $4.3 M 10 The Crazies Overture $3.7 M 11 Percy Jackson Fox $3.1 M 12 Crazy Heart Fox $3.0 M 13 The Blind Side Warner $1.6 M 14 Valentines Day Warner $1.4 M 15 Ghost Writer Summit $1.2 M 16 Dear John Sony $1.0 M 17 Tooth Fairy Fox $0.7 M 18 Alvin And Chipmunks Fox $0.5 M 19 Last Station SPC $0.4 M 20 The Wolfman Universal $0.4M SOURCE: RENTRAKBox Office Poll
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“final mass picket of the strike”
Wouldn’t that be nice!
What time is this mass picket?
Last gasp? I think you mean victory lap…
Hey,
I’d go all the way. Daytime fireworks, the Main Street Electrical Parade music, and, finally, as the strikers lock elbows… “It’s, a Small World, after, alllll…
I hope so, oh, I hope so. WGA, don’t take a bad deal, but please don’t throw out a deal unless you’re sure you can get something better by making this thing can last. Only if it absolutely must go on should it. And if it should, it will. But please, please, let this be the end.
Does that make them Picketeers?
Who the hell is describing it as the “final mass picket of the strike”? Disney? The AMPTP? The trades?
Everything is bullshit and conjecture until the WGA membership votes on a deal that it hasn’t even seen yet.
And from my well-placed sources, the proposed deal is a steaming pile of shit that the membership will wholeheartedly reject.
This is not the last mass picket of the strike. It MAY BE the last mass picket of the strike. We of course hope it is. But if the deal isn’t one the writers can embrace — and if the contract language doesn’t reflect what the WGA leadership has been promised by the companies — the writers will not have it jammed down their throats. Everything we hear is potentially AMPTP spin. This is still an on-going negotiation.
Actually it’s being described as “what could be the final mass picket of the strike!”
The “what could be” shouldn’t be left out, Nikki.
Thank God the AMPTP finally came back to the negotiating table and thank God the two sides seem so close. I pray that as of Monday we’re done striking, but that might not be the case. And sadly, until the day the incredibly important details of the deal are worked out and are on paper, we have to keep up the picket. Again, sorry, Oscar.
What’s being described as the “final mass picket of the strike” will be held at the Magic Kingdom headquarters on Thursday.
“Described as” by who?
Calling the strike over before we vote is exactly the kind of shit that’d make me vote to stay out even longer. And if I have even the smallest misgivings about the deal, I just might.
Honestly, I don’t think that this is the last gasp picket. If reality is any concern, I think you are going back into negotiations. Before that Bob Iger and Peter Chernin will be known as the duo that lost the Oscars, and got Washington to hold hearings on mogul greed. That is what will happen when you guys reject a bad deal on Saturday and Galvin Polone is too scared to admit it.
Awfully presumptuous to assume it’s the “final mass picket of the strike” isn’t it? What does ‘mass picket’ mean anyway? Aren’t all pickets mass? At what point does a picket hit critical ‘mass?’
Anyway, who ever comes up with this stuff should really consider checking in with the thousands of obviously very skeptical writers who have yet to decide it’s over, and it’s only they who can do so. Is it not?
STORM THE DISNEY GATES! THEN JUST SIT DOWN ON THE LAWN OF THE TEAM DISNEY BUILDING AND CHANT PROTEST RHYMES. PRETEND IT’S AN ANTI-WAR SIT-IN FROM 1968. LET’S SEE THE BURBANK POLICE TRY TO ARREST 3,000 WRITERS FOR TRESPASSING. YOU CAN CHANT “ALL WE ARE SAYING, IS GIVE US MORE MONEY.” OH AND BURN BOB IGER IN EFFIGY. THAT’S HOW THEY DID IT BACK IN THE 60′S IT WAS ALWAYS GOOD FOR A SHOT ON THE TV NEWS. YOU CAN ALSO BURN BUSH & CHENEY IN EFFIGY IF YOU WANT TO WIDEN THE PROTEST.
Jesus H. Christ, everyone. All this “the strike is over” BS is the result of leaks– leaks coming directly from the AMPTP. Yes I’m talking to you, Mr. Chernin.
This strike is *NOT* over until the membership votes on a good contract. All this “last gasp”, “almost there” crap suggests one thing to me:
A shitty offer may be coming our way. Steel yourself.
Obviously, there’s been a focused effort to create a wide expectation for the imminent end to this thing. I can’t wait for those PR flacks Chris Lehane and Mark Fabiani to give interviews about their pressure strategy, “Operation Raised Expectations”.
Only it won’t work, guys. Because when the time comes, we’ll carefully look at the deal- and if it is truly bad– that is- if it’s just some reheated version of that peice-o-crap DGA deal, we’ll know it, and it’ll be a “no”.
Whether the work stoppage is lifted or not. A bad deal will not fly.
Joss Whedon really says it better than I. Be clear AMPTP– I’m ready and willing to go to June if we need to. And so’s pretty much everyone (~85%) I’ve talked to on the line.
The writers, and BTL folks- we all deserve resolution and are looking with hope for a serious offer we can agree to. Because a serious offer alone is the only thing that can end this strike.
JW’s right. It ain’t over. Not even close.
No matter what happens, I’m still never going to get rich as a writer. I’m okay with that.
To those writers like “Simon” who have posted–While I appreciate your need and right to stand up for what you deserve, I don’t think you understand the gravity of the situation for others in your industry. You say you have lost 350K and a pilot–and while that is huge, it sounds as if you are in a better position to take such losses. My husband is an animator who has been laid off as a result of the strike. We have been struggling just to make rent and have to choose weekly between which bills are more important to pay. He knows many in his position with families who are losing houses. But here is the difficulty–again, while I appreciate your full right to get what you deserve, you and others with your opinion that you will strike until after SAG gets involved in June, don’t realize that so many of your co-workers in the industry will be utterly destroyed if you do. It’s one thing to make a stand when it’s only yourself who will be hurt by the losses you incur. It’s quite another to make a stand that affects thousands of others and hurts them incredibly (most of whom make far less than you do) WHEN THEY HAVE NO VOICE OR SAY IN THE MATTER. My husband and his co-workers do not have a vote in the writer’s guild. Yet, they have been directly affected. You speak about getting your fair share–and normally I would agree with you. The producers are greedy bastards who seemed to want to punish labor by striking in the first place. But the time has come for this to end. If it continues, THERE SIMPLY MAY NOT BE ANY JOBS TO RETURN TO, and then what will all of this have been for? There is a tipping point that has long been passed where you have lost far more–and the entire city has lost–far more than anything you might have gained. I hate to let the big corporate types win; I’m a political activist myself. But with so much at stake, with so many others’ futures on the line with no voice in the matter, it’s irresponsible to be so inflexible. This goes for all of you. Both sides need to end this, to give a little and compromise like adults. The survival of the entire industry is at stake, which may be irrevocably damaged if the strike were to continue much longer.
It’s better to cut your losses, if need be, than to lose everything for yourself and everyone around you. If more shows are cancelled, more seasons shifted to reality t.v.–what will any of you have won? The contract you begrudgingly agree to won’t be worth the paper it’s written on–there won’t be any jobs remaining for it to apply to. And in the meantime, those of us in the industry who depend on these shows for our daily bread will be victims of TWO bullies who simply wanted to show the other side up. I urge both sides to do the mature thing, compromise, despite all the weeks of negativity. Your and our very survival depend upon it. Be the bigger men and women. Show the producers you are strong, united, in pursuit of fairness, but not reckless to the point of self-destruction at any cost. That cost will be everyone’s future, not just yours.
May practical, calmer, mature heads prevail.
For those who don’t know, it’s UnitedHollywood.com that is asking:
“Could tomorrow be the final mass picket of the strike? One way to help make that a reality is to show up at what could be the final mass picket of the strike!”
There’s also a good but sobering letter by Joss Whedon posted on there.
And for those supporters who want to join the cause (we’d love to have you,) here’s the info:
DISNEY STUDIOS
Picketing Shifts: 8am-3pm (8-11, 10-1, 12-3)
500 S Buena Vista Street
Burbank, California 91521
Parking Option: Neighborhood streets east of Disney (Parkside Dr.)
Wear comfy shoes!
To all you picketers,
M..I..C..see you really soon…K..E..Y…why, because we like you, M..O..U..S..E. Mickey Mouse, fuck a duck, Mickey Mouse, fuck a duck, forever let us hold our banner high….HIGH, HIGH, HIGH.
Strikes over when the fat Minnie sings.
Good luck to all WGA on Saturday.
Honestly, I don’t think that this is the last gasp picket. If reality is any concern, I think you are going back into negotiations. Before that Bob Iger and Peter Chernin will be known as the duo that lost the Oscars, and got Washington to hold hearings on mogul greed. That is what will happen when you guys reject a bad deal on Saturday and Galvin Polone is too scared to admit it. — Jessy S.
What she said.
Honestly, I don’t think that this is the last gasp picket. If reality is any concern, I think you are going back into negotiations. Before that Bob Iger and Peter Chernin will be known as the duo that lost the Oscars, and got Washington to hold hearings on mogul greed. That is what will happen when you guys reject a bad deal on Saturday and Galvin Polone is too scared to admit it. — Jessy S.
Jessy–
You just said a cotton pickin’ mouthful.
That was in a movie (Victor/Victoria).
Someone wrote that.
Don’t forget it.
PS: Don’t hear much from Gavin Polone these days.
What is going to happen if you guys reject what’s considered a good deal? Brought to you by your leadership who you’ve done nothing but praise in the face of evidence that they’ve stumbled through this? I find it astonishing that (a) you’ve not seen the deal; (b) automatically assume that it must be horrible (”well placed sources” my ass); and (c) are so eager to throw Verrone, Young, Bowman, et al under the wheels. If the deal is this “pile of shit,” so be it. But some of you seem so full of Strike Fever that you don’t care that this might be the best it may get and that you will quickly find yourselves the villains in a scenario that has held you up as heroes. Don’t turn a righteous cause into a self-righteous self-fulfilling prophecy.
There is a DANGEROUS presumptuousness inherent in this story. The studios are not only stage managing the ending of this strike, but Nikki Finke as well – SCARY! Is this Deadline Hollywood or Variety? Sure we all want this to be over – but on the proper terms. Please, please please guys – let’s not make this a rerun of ‘88 – and realize that we all lost our will and were bullied by a few craven entitled guys who finally got shows under their belts and are throwing their welterweight around. C’MON!! This thing is for the long long run – we will be judged harshly by the future generation if we don’t deliver. Billions will be lost to writers – just like they were lost in ‘88.
i worry that the least talented, most bitter writers who indicate a glee to vote no to a compromise deal. let’s get back to work, the money’s not the important part. it’s the art and the people you work with who matter way, way, way more.
It’s been very interesting hearing the excitement of my friends who are loosely affiliated with the Industry, as I am. Their excitement lies in the belief that the writers are going to get some kind of decent deal because of the press releases. These friends can’t wait to hear what I might report second-hand from hubby’s reports from the meeting this upcoming Saturday.
When I talk to my friends about what I consider the “sticking point” of the promotional window, and what I believe is not a small minority of hard-liner writers but what I feel might actually be a sizeable number of writers in the membership who think the original promotional window in the DGA deal is still too much time without compensation, their excitement falls. Then when I talk about the other strategic levels that making this deal could mean, they get thoughtful. The facts outweigh the spin. As much as my friends want something great to happen, they understand the power of evaluation and determination, and are willing to weigh all the options.
So here’s some of the things that I have mentioned to them. Does the WGA go for it, and call off the strike and just ratify this deal to give SAG a starting point for their negotiations, just as the DGA deal gave WGA a baseline foundation? And then let SAG do the next bit of heavy lifting to see if they can get the deal up more when it’s their turn to come to the table? Or should the WGA hold out for more? Is there more to get without pissing the powers that be off? Or should the WGA take the biggest hit, being the baddest and most hated boy in town and allowing the strike to continue? Or should the WGA “panic” and feel that it should do the deal just so something is set in stone? Will there be a backlash if the membership votes down this offer? Is it true that SAG could really be split when it comes time for them to have to hit the sidewalks?
What does it really mean if the membership does not ratify this deal? And what would it really take to make the membership happy?
These are the questions that are relevant right now. NOT who’s the hardliner? NOT Who’s the moderate? NOT Who’s the pussy? NOT Who do we pressure and hate as a displaced and split off discharge for feelings of powerless and frustration for the last 3 months?
Right now, information and evaluation is the key. Knowing TRULY what the membership is willing to settle for, is the conversation that should dominate on Saturday.
What, no one has a glib response to Morgan’s plea for reason to prevail in this stupid pissing contest? No one wants to field her real life concerns about financial solvency, while people she knows are going under?
I don’t want to make too broad a generalization, but you’re all pathetic, except for Writer Bon. He’s the best waiter in Hollywood.
I will summon the ghosts of Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin to appear from the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. The two yippies will organize all of you and together you will be able to levitate the Team Disney building, which is what they tried to do at the Pentagon in 1967. You might remember the famous photo of a hippie placing a flower in the rifle barrel of a National Guardsman. It won a Pulitzer Prize. You can place a pencil in the gun barrel of a Disney Security Guard. Guaranteed to make the front page of Variety.
Morgan, if you want writers to listen to your appeal, you might try also exhorting the studio execs to understand the plight of thousands and do what they can to end this. Yeah, sure, you mention both sides should act like adults, but all you are doing is telling the writers to take any deal to help you back to work… how about telling the studios to take a deal that would make the writers happy? After all, it’s the studios who threw you out of work not the writers. Why aren’t you reminding the studio execs that if they think the writers are so unimportant, why aren’t they writing the stuff to keep you in business? I’m actually one of the little people myself who is getting hurt but trying to guilt the writers into making any kind of a deal WHEN THERE IS ANOTHER SIDE WHO COULD JUST AS EASILY MAKE A FAIR DEAL and you are not guilting them isn’t a way to get anyone to listen to your plgith.
Does anyone else think it’s total crap that the writers won’t get to actually VOTE on the deal BEFORE the strike is ended?
WTF?????
We’re the ones who have been on the lines for three months. Can’t we at least wait another week to let US THE WRITERS decide if it’s a good deal before the strike ends????
Once the strike is over, nobody’s going to actually read the deal. Everyone will vote yes.
Something smells fishy.
It’s our union and I want it back.
To anyone still harboring any illusion about it: The strike is over. Unless something goes south to an astonishing degree during this last day of getting tentative contract language down on paper before the weekend, the leadership has already made its decision. Although a membership vote will be required to ratify the new contract when it’s finished, no vote is required for them to call off the strike, and none will be taken before they do so.
If you haven’t caught on yet, we are now the ones being “managed” by leadership — not the media, not public perception, but us, the rank and file of the Guild. This happens at the end of any strike; it has to, given that the gains realized in the end are always less then the demands that were trumpeted in the beginning to rally the troops.
These meetings on Saturday are sales meetings, pure and simple. Yes, leadership is going to “listen to the members,” in the sense that members will speak, and Patric, David, et al. will listen while they speak. But they’re also going to make the PR presentation/sales pitch to us that they’ve really come there to make — and afterward, probably sometime on Sunday, they’re going to announce that having listened attentively to all the various feelings and viewpoints expressed by the members at the meetings, they’ve decided to send everybody back to work while the contract is being finalized. And that will be that.
I don’t have any inside knowledge about any of the above, either; I just have a slightly better grasp of how the world works than some people appear to. If those of you in the “Strike ‘Til June” crowd sincerely believe that coming to the meeting and raising your voices is going to change the pre-ordained outcome…well, give it a shot, but be prepared for a thoroughly disappointing weekend. This train has already left the station; you just don’t realize you’re on it yet.
(If I’m wrong, I will come back here on Monday and post a detailed, shamefaced admission of exactly how wrong I was. But don’t hold your breath waiting for that in the meantime….)
Has anyone else noticed how much Bob Iger looks like Bob Saget in this picture?
There is no doubt that outrage is simmering among the 1200 or so WGA members who regularly picket. As details of the proposed settlement trickle out, it becomes abundantly clear to us that this deal is absolute mediocrity, and in spirit nearly an outright capitulation. We are surrendering the future with a resigned sigh that this is the best that can be had under the circumstances. My fear? That members’ outrage extends no farther than those on the picket line. My hope? That there is silent majority out there, who, while they do not walk the line our speak out, will share our disgust at this crummy deal and VOTE IT DOWN.
If this happens, the AMPTP will be faced with a disturbing new reality. It is no longer our leaders whom they are up against, but the WGA membership at large, a far more fearsome opponent, and one far less easy to blame and bully.
As for the IATSE members who are facing hardship, if not financial ruin, I say stop blaming us and blame instead those who triggered this strike with their stubborn greed.
JOIN US ON THE LINE!
On the one hand, sometimes you have to cut your losses.
On the other hand, if the contract isn’t a good one, at least make the strike last until the Oscars. No way should the WGA let the industry get away with having a normal Oscars ceremony if the industry isn’t respecting the people who created the embryos that turned into the Oscar-nominated movies.
I hope it’s almost over. Some of the writers I’m seeing on here, and other posts, give me the impression they would rather keep striking if the perfect deal isn’t made. All I would like to see is that the studios are interested in meeting somewhere in the middle; even if it’s not the best deal ever. They have millions maybe even billions. I think they could hold out longer than most writer’s few hundred or few thousand dollar savings. I highly respect the writers and their efforts, but sometimes you have to go a little more than halfway to make something work. I think most writers want to get back to work and would accept a less than perfect deal. Don’t be mad at the writers. The AMPTP are the ones who waited so long to negotiate. They had a different agenda. This was the studio’s excuse to wipe the slate of contracts they regret signing. Now that it’s getting close to the award shows that are important to them; they run back to negotiate. It was never about greed. The studios just wanted to regroup and the writer’s were the fall guys. Let’s go back to work.
Morgan – your post is very thoughtful and well taken. But you have to realize that on the labor side, it is absolutely impossible to make a stand against managment that does not have collateral damage.
Impossible.
It is incredibly unfortunate, but also part of the devicive plan of managment that weakens all laborers.
“Take our crappy deal because others are suffering!”
If writers, actors, directors, auto workers, teachers, nurses…anyone who had to go on strike to get treated fairly…only did so if there was no collateral damage, workers would have nothing.
This is why unity by workers is so important. It’s why the feud between the DGA and WGA might just be the most destructive flaw of the strike.
Imagine if you will, if the DGA refused to negotiate SEVEN MONTHS IN ADVANCE? The AMPTP could not have used their stall tactic. They would have HAD to negotiate with the WGA.
The DGA are fools for doing what they did. It made their deal worse, the writers deal worse, and undercut the power of the unions just so they could look like grownups and snuggle up to the bosses.
Honestly, I think if the AMPTP were stuck in dealing with the DGA, this would have been over by Christmas.
That fact, is also not your fault.
But instead of arguing that strikes need to be limited by the collateral damage they cause, it would be better to argue that the unions must balance the power with their employers so that a negotiation had urgency, and yields real results.
What if all the unions could negotiate under an umbrella organization like the AMPTP? Do the companies have interests more diverse than the unions? No, I don’t think so.
Imagine if the unions had the power to strike together, just as the companies have the power to lock out together?
The power would be balanced. Negotiations would be real. And I bet, there’d be no strikes and pretty fair deals.
And while SAG and WGA have that de facto solidarity, the bad blood with IATSE and DGA weakened everyone.
And maybe that is all the WGA’s fault. I don’t know.
But no matter the result of this strike, I think the next three years must absolutely must result in a new day of relationships between the guilds. They must be able to act and support each other as one…just like these bitter enemies on the other side manage to do.
The guilds have to realize that no matter what their differences, they all get screwed if they don’t support each other.
Multi-millionare conglomerates who would sell their grandmothers to screw each other realize this.
Why can’t the talent community figure it out?
Without unity, there is no power. Without power, you get a long strike full of games and manipulation and lies that eventually work.
And people like you, Morgan, and your husband, are caught on the short end with nothing.
In the words of a “Great King,” “Can’t we all just get along?”
I feel that there will be a lot of noise when the deal is released for all to see, writers frustrated with leadership for bending over after such an extended work stoppage, people more furious with moguls for twisting the shit knife, but when it comes down to it a and a vote is taken, the writers will buckle and take WHATEVER is given to them because they’re DESPERATE to get back to work. It’s guaranteed, regardless the vitriol that spills out in chat rooms, post boards, and in the streets. It’s either that, or the guild runs the risk of the Producers accomplishing what they set out to accomplish at the beginning: jeopardizing the union’s very existence.
Saturday marks the end of the strike…and it won’t be a victory, merely a defeat that will result in them returning to work.
This makes me SO NERVOUS! Getting our hopes up, then dashing them is the classic tactic used by the AMPTP. If the strike is over, great. But assuming it is, letting hope take precedence over reason, is SO DANGEROUS.
I agree with Morgan. Can you guys just shut the F#uk up! If you believe in your “leaders” who are in there fighting for you, then let them “do” there jobs. All of you and yes that means both sides need to CHILL-OUT!
If you were kids and that is the way you are acting <you would be on (time out) BIG TIME! Just for the behavior you are displaying. YOu all only care about yourselves and not the crew, so STOP THE BS NOW! THE CREW MEANS NOTHING TO YOU! WE ALL KNOW THIS,yet we will be back at work. Do not make this already horrible situation worst. WHT IS NO ONE FROM THE WRITERS SIDE IS POSITIVE? WHY IS IT THAT “IF” SOME SEEMLY “GOOD” NEWS THAT THE STRIKE “MAYBE” CLOSE TO BEING OVER, YOU CAN’T BE HAPPY? DO YOU LOVE “WAR”, BECAUSE THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WILL HAPPEN. KNOW ONE WILL WIN AND ESPECIALLY THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE CAMERA. ALL THAT HAVE POST ON HERE “CLAIM” TO CARE ABOUT THE CREW, YEAH RIGHT”. GOT NEWS FOR YOU “NO” ONE BELIEVES YOU. I WILL NOT POST ON HERE AGAIN. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SO PROUD TO BE APART OR THE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS. YOU GUYS MAKE US ALL LOOK SO PETTY IN THESE TRYING TIMES THAT OUR COUNTRY IS FACING..SAD BUNCH OF PEOPLE.THERE ARE “GOOD” PEOPLE IN THE BUSINESS, YET THEY ARE A MINORITY. IF YOU THE WRITERS HAVE ANY GOODNESS IN YOU AT ALL THEN GET OUT OF YOUR ON WAY AND LET YOUR LEADERS LEAD YOU. STOP AND “THINK”. YOU ARE DESTROYING LIVES AND FAMILYS..OH, I FORGOT, YOU DO NOT CARE!
It is surprising to me how many dense individuals are here, specifically the hardliners. I wonder why many of the level headed ones cannot see the logic of ending this ill-conceived strike. I’m not going to go over why I think that again, it is a dead horse. If I think about all of the idiots I see on the freeway every day, it is really no wonder. It must be a lot of the same people.
“Reality and animation will be part of this settlement!”
The only people who are going to vote to reject a deal on Saturday are the folks with nothing to lose. Their voices are loud on the net but small in number. I’ve been picketing every day and the overwhelming amount of folks walking with me just want this thing to end.
Comment by Writer Bon — February 6, 2008 @ 8:01 pm:
“Calling the strike over before we vote is exactly the kind of shit that’d make me vote to stay out even longer.”
So you’re saying you’d vote against any proposed deal (whatever that may be) just because some people in Hollywood believe the Disney picket could be the final one? WTF? You’d vote against ANY proposed deal out of spite, out of anger that someone had the audacity to suggest that the end was in sight? What happened to voting based on the issues?
I’m a 31-year-old writer who has spent the past few years working steadily in both network TV and features. The sentiments of “Writer Bon” are exactly why I and virtually EVERY other working writer I know have been questioning the WGA’s tactics and rhetoric since January.
Somehow, for many “writers”, this strike has become less about getting a fair deal and more about sticking it to The Man and bitching about the Establishment and drawing idiotic associations between the CEOs and various members of the Republican party.
Wake up, please.
Thanks to Morgan for writing what I have been thinking. My husband has worked as grip for more than 20 years, but was laid off in November, so we have a very personal interest in the strike outcome. The people who are not writers or studio moguls are the collateral damage in this war. How many have been affected? Will things ever get back to “normal” (well, as normal as “Hollywood” ever gets)? When the strike ends (fingers crossed, hopefully soon) remember that TV shows and films don’t get made by themselves, and that the production team is just that-a TEAM, from craft service to head honcho.
Meg, A Grip’s Wife
Morgan:
While I appreciate your situation, I think a lot of people who are advocating “cutting our losses” are either not aware of or not seeing the big picture, the real reason this strike happened.
Sooner than you think, everything will be considered “content created for the internet.” And without meaningful internet jurisdiction, the WGA is doomed and everything that writers have fought for since the Guild’s beginning will be lost. What’s the point of coming back to save this TV season if we lose our Guild in the process?
Now I have strong hopes that the issues that threatened the WGA’s survival have at least been resolved. But if they haven’t, if this is yet another scam from the AMPTP’s bag of dirty tricks, then it’s not a deal I’ll be voting for. And I, like most writers, am probably not in any better position financially than you are. So let’s not forget who the bad guys are here — they’re the ones who could pay for the WGA deal with a personal check. Not the writers who are trying to figure out which bills to pay, just like you.
Why do we all have to wait until Saturday?
What the hell happened yesterday? What about today or tomorrow?
We’re all HOME and could meet anytime.
Why wait until Saturday?
As someone who drives to many different studios during the day, this morning I notice a lot of picketers staying out in front of the gates after the cars got their green light. Please stay safe and follow basic traffic laws people. Don’t do dumb stuff that gives anyone the chance to point at you and say “Darwin nominee”.
WGA Please get over yourselves and go into this meeting with open minds and hearts. So many are suffering for your cause and it is obvious by this blog you don’t care. Too bad I answer to a higher authority or I would be out picketing you. I have so much difficulty understanding the lack of compasion.
What I’d like to see in these postings is everyone actually admit how much paid TV and Film Writing they actually participate in. I’ve got a feeling most of the “stay out forever” camp either doesn’t work or used to and hasn’t worked in a long time. It’s so easy to strike when you don’t have a job. So keep it up folks. If your camp actually gets its way, no final contract will ever come close to making up for what’s been lost. Remember, one day the real writers will have to go back to work and at this point, the film-making community has lost is sense of support for your cause. Maybe the A-list SAG members voice support, but they number a handful compared to the numbers who crew a project from pre to post.
For those of you who have any common sense left and understand that you don’t get to script real-life endings in the manner you alone choose, it’s time to take the deal, if it’s reasonable, then build on it in the future. And please don’t respond to this by telling me how horrible the AMPTP has been. That’s how it works and that’s how hard-core businessman think. Next time, pick representatives who know how to negotiate. It was a foregone conclusion before this strike got off the ground that the DGA would settle before the WGA and create a template for your contract.
Ratings are tanking, the studios want to settle, make something happen.
At this point I’m hoping you idiots actually do go against your leaders and kill this deal. Then the actual working writers in this town who have a clue about the business side can blow up the guild and leave the hangers on that are leeching off the people doing the work and providing the leverage behind.
If all the “the strike is nearly over” and “last mass picket” crap really is being put out by the AMPTP to raise expectations, the people who say they are writers that post on this site are sure doing a bang-up job of turning the tide of public opinion against them.
Guys, try not to call a deal a steamy piece of shit when only your “well-placed sources” have seen it. And have they actually seen it? Have you seen a copy? I was under the impression it was still being written.
You supported your leaders who told you it was a good idea to strike. You elected them into these positions to represent you. Listen to them. If they think the deal is in your best interests, maybe your best interests would be to go to the meeting Saturday without a preconcieved idea that what you are going to hear is going to be bad. The deal isn’t gonna be exactly what you want. You had to give some things up in order to get some in return.
And for the love of God, don’t post snarky and downright stupid-sounding comments on websites and waste the goodwill you have already handily won in the court of public opinion.
I’m convinced there are about 30 hardliners (maybe less) who post on this board. The echo chamber has them thinking that the thousands and thousands of members are going to reject any deal that isn’t perfect, even when leadership is recommending the deal.
Keep dreaming, and be thankful that the moderates are going to save you from yourselves and you’ll still have jobs when this is finally over.
I think cat ears would be more appropriate than mouse ears. Must put some fear into those evil mice, after all.
I couldn’t agree more with morgan, and making comments like that of writer bon are childish. I think some people are losing focus and are now taking action just to spite others. I beg people to at least listen, and trust the leaders that have brought you this far. I think it was Winston Churchill that said, ” A good compromise is when both parties are unhappy.” You might just have that already. At least consider it for the sake of the people you’re going to have to work with when this is over.
Dear fuzzy robot writer,
Care to place a bet that the “steaming pile of” crap gets ratified when (or if) a vote even takes place.
I hope you are prepared to spew as much venom at Verrone, et al…as you did praise as he led the writers to storming the gates with a strike. The strike played right into the hands of the AMPTP, and although it gave some leverage to the DGA, that leverage was used like a toothpick to make a little inroad into what was originally proposed.
The minority of you, and it is a minority, who are the most vocal about rejecting any shitty deal that comes across the table, are in for a rude awakening when the people who recognize continuing the strike is a lost cause vote to accept the deal.
This whole things has been played from the beginning, and although some of the networks were caught off-guard by the initial stoppage of their shows, they quickly adjusted, and in reality hasn’t lost as much ad-revenue as you would think.
The truth is always somewhere closer to the middle, and in this case the fight for this was waged a little too early to have an impact (three years from now, when the revenue streams are more transparent and clear would have been the way to go).
Ruthie and everybody else here, I’m male.
Regardless this post has been here since 8 PM my time last night (central) and my post since Midnight my time. As I type this, it is 2:07 PM my time on Thursday Feb. 7th and Galvin Polone (who is a scardy cat) still hasn’t posted to refute my post. (My apologies to Nikki if Galvin’s post is just waiting to be confirmed and posted.) That means the moguls are likely betting on the “stupid writers” accepting a horrible deal. The result will likely be what I posted above, and congress will want a deal this weekend. However, when they are done with Bob (Disney), Peter (FOX), Anne (ABC), Jeff (NBC), Les (CBS), Jeff (Time Warner), and Sumner (Viacom), it would be like the AMPTP being on the wrong end of a Jack Bauer touture session and giving the WGA and SAG everything they want.
who knew iger’s doppleganger was bob saget.
Gee.
I was so looking forward to a 30 minute Oscar press conference. The Golden Globes were almost watchable this year as a direct result of the WGA strike.
However, I think it would be a terrible ending to a crushing strike for the WGA leadership to call off their picket lines BEFORE the membership approves a deal. Allowing the AMPTP all the lauded benefits of a “business as usual” Oscar telecast while a bad deal lies steaming in the background would add insult to injury to all those damaged by this absurdly bungled strike. The fact that that bad deal may well be rejected by the WGA bringing back the picket lines a few short weeks after the AMPTP got (again) exactly what it wanted would be further testament to the poor judgement and questionable leadership of the WGA.
I would suggest to the WGA that if the membership rejects a deal after allowing the Oscar’s to go forward that the WGA leadership stops screwing around, puts jurisdiction of reality and animation back on the table and let’s talk again in August 2008.
I DO have a suggestion for the AMPTP to save the Oscar’s: Move the Oscar telecast to Vancouver and let the RCMP deal with the WGA. Harshly. No pesky “free speech” problems there!
ProlBoy
I drove pass Disney HQ in Burbank. There is a huge turnout of striking writers here. It’a a beautiful site seeing all of the humanity.
I just got a voicemail from someone at the WGA imploring me to come out tomorrow for the “last picketing of the strike.”
Are you kidding me?
Something stinks.
Jessy S -
Honestly, you’re an idiot. Stop with these posts that say congress will go after the AMPTP. Congress doesn’t care. You keep bloviating about this and it ISN’T GOING TO HAPPEN. Don’t make this a class warfare argument. This is the rich against the richer.
Now, if someone showed a boob on tv, that’s another story.
The WGA Brass were a bunch of dopes before this began and will be after this is over. They clearly didn’t do enough homework before negotiating. They barely had a clue as to the kind of money new media is already generating for the networks/studios. They didn’t know a good deal from a bad one. They based everything off of the old home video debacle. Love or hate the DGA, they played a pivotal role in all this and should be thanked by many below the line individuals like myself. The WGA piggy-backed off of their agreement and improved on it where it concerned them. You folks at the Writer’s Guild should think twice before sending those buffoons back to “negotiate” in 3 years.
Shark (and others), we need to get two things clear:
1) The Bad Guys offered to start negotiations in Jan 07. It was the Good Guys that refused to start until July, and then adjorned for approx 6 weeks to prepare for WGA elections. The Evil Empire refused to talk for approx 6 weeks in Dec 07/Jan 08, but it was the Jedi Council that refused to negotiate for 6 months plus 6 weeks.
2) That’s not necessarily a bad thing–or a good thing. Maybe refusing to negotiate for 6+ months will help bring about a better deal–or maybe starting negotiations in Jan 07 would have brought as good or better deal. We don’t know, and we will never know. Some car dealers make $$$ with pressure, others with low pressure. There is more than one way to skin a cat, and more than one way to make a deal.
So please, stop blaming Darth AMPTP for “refusing” to negotiate–Obi Wan WGA “refused” to negotiate for a much longer period of time. Not that there is anything necessarily wrong with that.
To people like mike, AD, etc., thank you. I don’t know who is in the WGA or not, but the idea that not all writers are going to be like some of the ones I’ve seen here and on United Hollywood restores my faith in the guild. I’m stressed out of my mind, and I’m just a fan. Really, and truly, you shouldn’t take a bad deal. But there’s just as little reason to call this a shitty deal as there is to call it a great one. It’s still being written. Even if you don’t like the deal- and again, I’m NOT saying you should automatically take anything- you need to be sure you’ll be able to get more by staying out longer, that the strike dragging on will be worth it. You’ve all lost more than will ever be gained by any terms, and that is the AMPTPs fault. But, as much as a thrilling, hard-earned, David-beats-Goliath victory would rock, it’s almost impossible for it to end just like that. You have won a lot, and you’ve madee the congloms feel. Now everyone is tired, worn-down, and frustrated. The good will won’t last forever and if you don’t take what comes Saturday, you’ll need to have a good reason. And maybe you will. If so, fine. But if not, if you can look at the deal and at least find it okay, pat yourselves on the back for a job well done, and send everyone back to work. This will only end when it’s over. But it shouldn’t last longer than it has to. All the best to you, and I hope and pray Saturday goes well. From and for all of us, good luck.
I can no longer believe the hardliners are anything but one of two groups:
1) disenfranchised out-of-the biz;
or 2) the insanely wealthy.
Either way, please don’t vote.
Looking at that photo brings up an important question: ever notice that you never see Bob Iger and Bob Saget in the same place at the same time???
Can y’all really be THAT naïve? It’s a pretty hard wake-up call isn’t it… to realize that even though you’ve been picketing. and hording money and believing in your leaders… and hatin’ on the Evil Empire… and shoutin’ at the greedy bastards – DOWN WITH BIG MEDIA… in the end you have absolutely no power at all… and that might friends is Union 101… You are simply the pawns of your leadership… that’s it… they say, “strike!”… you say… “yes sir!” They say strike ends… it’s over – PERIOD. And there is NOTHING you can do about it. It’s actually quite sad.
So you go on and post that you’re not going to ratify that deal… go on – keep deluding yourselves that your voice actually makes a difference. Just how in the world do you think you could hold up ratifying the deal anyway? Have vote counters? How will you even know who voted to ratify and who did not. People will be back to work for weeks at that point… and it will get ratified – no matter how many individuals kick and scream. I can see the headline in Variety now… “New deal ratified by an OVERWHELMING Majority” – weather it is true or not. Just like this strike was authorized by an overwhelming majority… un hunh!
So – just take a deep breath and accept – it’s over… maybe you’ll get a few more pennies… but in the end – pretty much everyone lost – except for the DGA – and maybe the studios that got to get rid of some dead weight.
And don’t be mad at me for telling the truth… it is what it is… and has always been.
“And for the love of God, don’t post snarky and downright stupid-sounding comments on websites and waste the goodwill you have already handily won in the court of public opinion.”
Comment by mike — February 7, 2008 @ 10:00 am
Hey, Mike. Too late. I think I can safely say that goodwill has already begun fading fast.
C-Note —
Wait three years when the revenue is MORE transparent? That’s when the studios are even LESS likely to give up the thin slivers of pie. We have to let them know we’re serious about the internet NOW. It’s all about forward thinking. When folks were putting their betamax tapes into their top loading machines, no one saw today’s technology coming. We see it now. It’s already here.
What am I missing here? The leadership was asking for 2.5 percent. By year three, we get 2 percent. Sounds good to me. IS it the window? I don’t think that’s such a big deal. It’s not like it’s cannabalizing syndication.
The Saturday meeting is an opportunity to present a progress report, in person, to the members. A deal is not necessarily in place.
\
I’m tired of playing ‘Deal or No Deal’! It’s fun to watch — but not fun to be part of.
Out on the picket line the sense I get is writers are feeling their backs are being pushed against the wall by the notion of the WGA Board being able to lift the ‘work restriction’ before the contract is assessed and ratified by the full membership — mainly so the February 24th Oscars can be met.
As a script-writer I know the value of a ‘ticking clock’.
To give the WGA membership a fair amount of time to assess the deal why doesn’t the Academy push the Oscars back until the contract is acceptable to the membership and officially deemed over by ratification of the membership. Tick-tock!
morgan honey, you got it all back asswards. writers don’t write stories because there are animators and grips and caterers and hairdressers. we don’t write stories to match somebody’s storyboard, or a camera move, or a beautifully lit set. it’s the other way around. I’m sorry for the hardship imposed on you and your husband and the thousands of others who’ve been adversely effected by this strike. really. but don’t hold writers responsible for your situation when it gets bad because I’m sure you didn’t give them any credit for your husband’s employment when times were good. you wanna blame somebody, blame the damn suits. and quit whining.
Boy, did we get sucker punched. This is from CNBC…
http://www.cnbc.com/id/23057002/
A deal has been struck between the major media companies and the Writers Guild of America to end the writers’ strike, former Walt Disney chief executive Michael Eisner revealed on CNBC.
“It’s over,” Eisner said. “They made the deal, they shook hands on the deal. It’s going on Saturday to the writers in general.”
Eisner, speaking live on CNBC’s “Fast Money,” seemed to hesitate initially about whether it was possible that the writers could still reject the agreement, but finally suggested the deal’s acceptance was inevitable.
“A deal has been made, and they’ll be back to work very soon,” Eisner said, adding, “I know a deal’s been made. I know it’s over.”
Eisner did not elaborate on terms of the agreement. He said he expects most of the media companies affected by the strike to have “small” write-downs as a result of the deal. Eisner said the deal was struck last Friday.
As a result of studio cutbacks, however, many of the writers who went on strike are unlikely to return to the same big-money contracts they’d had as individuals with the studios, Eisner said.
Shares of Walt Disney and CBS were both up in extended electronic trading Thursday.
“As for the IATSE members who are facing hardship, if not financial ruin, I say stop blaming us and blame instead those who triggered this strike with their stubborn greed.
JOIN US ON THE LINE!”
ahahahahahaha! Exactly WHO’S stubborn greed are we talking about?!? The writers or the studios?!? This isn’t about IATSE, it’s about above the line vs above the line, and I know you wouldn’t give me a squirt of piss if I were on fire. I hope you all get cancer.
WTF????
http://www.cnbc.com/id/23057002/
“As for the IATSE members who are facing hardship, if not financial ruin, I say stop blaming us and blame instead those who triggered this strike with their stubborn greed.
JOIN US ON THE LINE!”
—Let’s make one thing abundantly clear. The WGA went on strike, walked off the job. Yes, the studios “walked away” but let’s not redefine history. This strike was timed to have a maximum financial impact on everyone involved. Join you on the line? Never. Your battle.
Anyone doubting the “it’s over” is part of an overall PR strategy, check this crap out.
I actually thought it WAS Bob Saget. And I thought that it was a really weird image to show for this story.
Lots of razzle dazzle went on this weekend, i hope the SAG representatives put this thing to bed.
Somebody has to take charge and get this town back on it’s feet again, that’s what’s ahead, no matter what happens on Saturday,.coming up.
PC
The strike either officially ends on Monday…
… or the guild splits in two between writers who work and writers who simply like to picket.
Those who think that they are collateral damage due to this strike and belong to the IATSE, the you are collateral damage in Tom Short’s eyes.
As for this hubbub that Washington doesn’t care, not long after the talks broke down in December, the WGA leadership went to Washington to discuss the strike with congress. I think Nikki covered that story.
This past January, writers from The Daily Show and Colbert Report held a mock debate on strike issues for members of the US House who then pledged support for the writers and promised hearings if the strike doesn’t end soon. Coverage of that was posted at United Hollywood.
As a result, the moguls decided that they better make a deal to end the strike. From all the media hubbub, it seems that the deal may be bad and the moguls will go toward Congress.
When, and if that happens, you BTL’s are better served cutting off Tom Short’s head and joining the writers on the picket line.
After calling NF a c*nt in a prior post, I’ve been shocked in the past few days to see an amazing non-partisan view expressed in the posts being published.
For once, thank you, NF. I sincerely hope that the BTL and the ATL and anybody else who relies on our business to have a happy [regular] payday sooner than later.
Here’s hoping to a quick finish to this stupid marathon.