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UPDATE: Warner Bros Lawyers Dig In Garbage Over ‘The … There’s a bunch of guys that work on film crews and make funny T-shirts about the industry and post a new one each day. They sent me the link to today’s: a white or black T-shirt with THE STRIKE – Summer 2011 across the chest. 
Here’s how their website text reads: “Coming to a globe near you. In a world where movie studios make all the rules, two unions join forces to stand up for what’s right — DVD & Online royalties! Well, for those of you that don’t know, in the Summer of 2011 both the Writers Guild and Screen Actors Guild contracts come up for renegotiation AT THE SAME TIME. This means (most likely) they will join forces to make sure the studios give them what they want. It could be the largest work stoppage in Hollywood history. The studios are well aware of this impending doom and so we should expect to see them all trying to stock pile production. This most likely will result in a large amount of work to come starting (hopefully) soon.” For $14.90, you can give the moguls what they deserve.
For The Mogul Who Owns Everything…
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Great. So, by the time we are able to dig ourselves out of whatever holes/problems we’ve made for ourselves during this current work slowdown, we’ll get hit with another even bigger slowdown.
I need to make sure that I have a job pumping gas lined up for then.
Thank you unions, for thinking of the rest of us who, sadly aren’t part of your union, just other labor based ones.
YES!!! Just ordered mine.
Hysterical
Great idea, except by the time 2011 rolls around the studio stooges..err union leadership…that have already fallen for the bullshit that the AMPTP has given them will be running the WGA and SAG and will have gutted both unions so only 25 people get to vote.. Those pussies will settle for what ever is offered, just like they already have.
But I’m ordering a tee-shirt just the same. That’ll teach the studio bastards, won’t it?
I think all the unions should join forces when negotiating with the moguls. Plus, they should follow the lead of these guys and create some merchandise to sell, including E-bay auctions for autographed merch. They gotta build up the war chest somehow.
I agree with Chris…when does the time come when we look forward to work and not the next strike threat? The writers didn’t give a rat’s ass about SAG this last time. SAG flatters themselves to think that will change.
this is not a joke. thousands of people lost their jobs, people lost their houses, changed careers, all this to gain 1 or 2% on dvd downloads that are worth nothing for another 5 years (i know i receive some statements) compared to TV and dvd royalties (thanks to the DGA for being the only smart union). In exchange of this strike, what did we get? More reality shows and TV stations here and around the world discovering that they don’t need as much scripted shows by real writers or acted by real actors but they can buy cheaply a program that makes them more money. So now a writer or an actor gets a few percent more of a few thousand dollars of downloads on half of the volume of production of two years ago. Fantastic. We work like crazy all year (because if you think it’s easy to finance movies now, you’re wrong) to make movies to pay royalties to talent who want to make the same amount of money they were making three years ago while we lose… This doesn’t make sense anymore.
Can’t they all get along?
Strike 2011?
Yeah, right
how about
Stupid 2009
Hey Muldoon -
Don’t worry, you won’t be involved. Just like now.
Wow, HOW FUNNY – that’s not long enough for me to be ready for bankruptcy or lose my car – again.
GOSH DARN how funny, that we can joke about millions being lost and jobs going overseas and product not being made.
Forgive me if I forget to laugh. Or buy the t-shirt
Nicolas–
First of all, what is a “dvd download”? Are you deliberately confusing two issues?
DVD revenues to the studios are HUGE. But they have successfully convinced everyone that it is a dead market.
Electronic sell-thru is growing, but it is still a very small market.
The studios managed to make the strike about the online stuff. And while the WGA gained 200 dollars a year in online residuals, we lost MILLIONS in dvd residuals.
And if you doubt me, check out the studios statements to Wall Street. There’s no doubt that these companies are still making huge profits. They say so themselves.
Are the T-shirts made by union workers?
Considering I haven’t gotten a paycheck since before the last strike, I don’t think I have to worry about being involved with the next one.
Best of luck with it, guys.
Strike 2011?
Then mark me “Fi-Core” 2010.
With all due respect to those who work in production, we writers came out here to tell stories. We are compelled to do so. We love it that others can make a living bringing our work to life, and we realize that we cannot do it alone. But this industry we all have chosen is an unstable one. It always has been, even when times were much better. All of us have to constantly look for work, and that can end for various reasons without notice. No one wants anyone to lose jobs. But I have to look out for my best interest, and the best interests of my family. Part of that is protecting my work and making sure that I am compensated for it.
I do not want to strike again, but I am fully ready to stand up for a fair deal.
You make no sense, Nicolas.
Judging by their AD gear, I’d wager this to be a Canadian run operation (TAD’s and 4th’s don’t happen stateside). Surely the strike of 2007 was a joke to the Canadiens then, and any looming labor-stopping efforts would only be greatly appreciated, especially as California hemorrhages shows to Ga, Mi, whereever’s cheapest, fleecing the pool of productions eager to runaway across borders.
NF: You looked into this? Sending our hard earned crew dollars north of the border doesn’t really seem your style.
I think Nicolas has summed this all up. What a mess. And for what?
How about another shirt?
“BEND OVER 2011 ”
Brought to you by the DGA and AFTRA.
Chris, Maybe you should consider the fact that there are many union hyphenates, producers and directors keeping their productions in America so that ingrates like you can continue working.
As a writer, my colleagues and I walked the picket lines every day for close to four months on behalf of our SAG sisters and brothers and not only with WGA interests. Anyone unaware of this was obviously not proactive or involved with our cause — and you certainly should have been…
Forget it. There’s will not be any strike in 2011. SAG pussied out their chances with the current vote. AMPTP will set the terms for residuals in new media and the unions will just have to suck it up. SAG had a chance to flip the finger, but they blew it. We’ve devolved into a country of “just getting by.” Deal with it.
Thanks everyone for checking out our site and to many of you who bought our silly/serious tshirts about the possible strike in 2011.
Just so its out in the open. We are a bunch of Union workers in the film industry in Los Angeles, not Canada. We really do thank you for helping grow our side business. We may need it to help us through the tough times soon.
What strikes me about this, is how many comments there are in relation to the post above concerning the MPTF ongoing travesty. Not ONE comment on that story. All of the SAG BS but not one voice regarding caring for your own elderly and infirm. But nonsense about a t-shirt? That gets you going. Wow.
ed, sorry, yes i meant electronic sell thru downloads (amazon, itunes, etc…). these numbers are nothing. (example one movie we sold 1M dvd rights, less than 100,000 after 6 months of electronic sell-thru). Getting more royalties on dvds make sense. Getting a few percents more on electronic sell-thru didn’t, and by the way dvd sales went down 30% in the last couple months around the world (and electronic sell-thru didn’t go up). We’re all making a lot less money than two years ago and my hours are now closer to 7am-9pm and working weekends… Between domestic and international, you don’t have money in most movies to recoup. (forget the studio films that’s 50 movies a year and 99% of people writers, actors, don’t work on the studio films, they make money on the independent films, the tv series, etc…). If we can’t make these indie films, the tv series, then there’s less work for everyone. and so what are we going to do in 2011? Go through another strike, lose a few hundred millions dollars more in the economy, so we make even fewer movies because the economy doesn’t make sense. Sorry but when a grip or a union driver makes more in a movie than an assistant in a year who works 6 days a week, that doesn’t make sense to me. People need to get paid more and more per movie because they work less and less. and the more we’ll increase that number, the fewer movies we’ll be able to make. only the biggest ones, with the biggest stars, and that means more people will be unemployed. I don’t have the solutino. but another strike and more residuals when all the companies are struggling doesn’t make sense. (again i understand studio movies are different)…