Writer's Guild Strike

[Jadow]

I just read an article about Leno writing his own stuff and violating the rules, and ya know what I'm fed up with the guild. F them. The studios will pay what they're going to pay, and as with any employment, whether you're a Wal-Mart cashier or a hollywood writer, you'll either take it or leave it.

The Writer's guild is just another craptacular union trying to bring this country down.

 

[MovingTarget]

I'm not exactly against unions, but I don't see Leno writing his own stuff as violating the rules. This is no different from any standup comedian performing his own act, and I see nothing wrong in that. However, he is in a sense a scab writer to all those who used to write for him. Hopefully this will be resolved soon. Reruns are getting tiring.

 

[palehorse]

I dont understand what Leno has to do with your position there... are you FOR his decision to come back to work and prevent layoffs, or are you AGAINST his crossing the picket line, and therefore somehow backstabbing the other members?!

/confused

 

[HombrePequeno]

I can understand their gripe. The industry is making a ton off of DVD sales and a decent amount from electronic sell-through which the writer's are only seeing a tiny fraction from the DVD sales. I think they're asking for a little too much though.

 

[Jadow]

I am for Leno coming back and 100% against any this "union" of rich california liberals.

 

[palehorse]

I just think it's hard to feel sorry for people who already make $250,000/yr... and I don't watch a lot of mindless TV, so I can't say I really miss them either!

I do respect Leno and Conan for their decision to support the other staff who would have been laid off. I think that's pretty decent of them.

 

[miketheidiot]

Originally posted by: Jadow
I just read an article about Leno writing his own stuff and violating the rules, and ya know what I'm fed up with the guild. F them. The studios will pay what they're going to pay, and as with any employment, whether you're a Wal-Mart cashier or a hollywood writer, you'll either take it or leave it.

The Writer's guild is just another craptacular union trying to bring this country down.

and the writers will work for what they will, and the studios will take it or leave it.

 

[miketheidiot]

Originally posted by: palehorse74
I just think it's hard to feel sorry for people who already make $250,000/yr... and I don't watch a lot of mindless TV, so I can't say I really miss them either!

I do respect Leno and Conan for their decision to support the other staff who would have been laid off. I think that's pretty decent of them.

writers don't make that much.

 

[Craig234]

I strongly disagree with Jadow - he sounds to me like one of the righty ideologues who just doesn't understand the issues, specifically the whole concept of the balance of power between owners and labor, which is core to the strength of the middle class in this country - and he sounds like a guy in a dirty t shirt and a beer in a chair (figuratively) spitting about rich California liberals.

There's an ideological error commonplace, in which the poor think of themselves as on the billionares' team, as if the money rubs off on them if they just support what's in the interests of the super wealthy, and if they attack the lesser paid people.

Their ideology was illutrated for the crock and evil inhumanity it is in the gilded age - an era pretty much every person I see advocating this ideology is almost entirely ignorant of. So what you get is this reactionary sort of 'you know what - F them' level commentaries that are an insult to the freedom they have to get informed before speaking.

People today make a lot more share of the nation's wealth than they would otherwise because of the hard work of a couple generations of Americans a century ago fighting for the ability for labor to get a share of the power. We really do need to do a better job of educating Americans on the ideas behind labor and economics so they can make better political choices.

 

[palehorse]

Originally posted by: miketheidiot

Originally posted by: palehorse74
I just think it's hard to feel sorry for people who already make $250,000/yr... and I don't watch a lot of mindless TV, so I can't say I really miss them either!

I do respect Leno and Conan for their decision to support the other staff who would have been laid off. I think that's pretty decent of them.

writers don't make that much.

I actually saw an article that had their average pegged at about $200k/yr, depending on the show.

How far off do you think I am?

 

[IronWing]

Yea, screw unions. We should all wait around for the rich to piss in our mouths.

 

[spittledip]

What I would like to know is how much money the shows themselves generate. It is hard to say if the writers are not justified in their demands. they are the lifeblood of TV, so I think they deserve a good amount of the revenue. There is nothing wrong with wanting a fair share of the pie. Knowing how things work in most companies, would it be all that surprising if they were not being compensated fairly? In my mind, it doesn't matter if they are making 200k if that percentage is small compared to the revenue the shows make.

 

[palehorse]

Originally posted by: spittledip
What I would like to know is how much money the shows themselves generate. It is hard to say if the writers are not justified in their demands. they are the lifeblood of TV, so I think they deserve a good amount of the revenue. There is nothing wrong with wanting a fair share of the pie. Knowing how things work in most companies, would it be all that surprising if they were not being compensated fairly? In my mind, it doesn't matter if they are making 200k if that percentage is small compared to the revenue the shows make.

I agree, but it also makes it a little more difficult to really care about their plight... <shrug> meh...

 

[soccerballtux]

Eh, more power to them. It's about time they got a raise. 4cents per DVD? and they want 8 cents? Why are the record companies B****ing?

 

[3chordcharlie]

Originally posted by: Jadow
I just read an article about Leno writing his own stuff and violating the rules, and ya know what I'm fed up with the guild. F them. The studios will pay what they're going to pay, and as with any employment, whether you're a Wal-Mart cashier or a hollywood writer, you'll either take it or leave it.

The Writer's guild is just another craptacular union trying to bring this country down.

Yet I imagine you believe in IP protection.

Most times, when you try to compare a skilled trade operating in a complex marketplace, comparing them to cashiers will give you the "wrong answer".

This is one of those times.

 

[Farang]

Is there any point in which we'll see a large amount of scabs take over? There are a lot of people wanting to break into the industry, I see the politics of it getting in the way but maybe only up to a certain point?

 

[Wreckem]

Originally posted by: HombrePequeno
I can understand their gripe. The industry is making a ton off of DVD sales and a decent amount from electronic sell-through which the writer's are only seeing a tiny fraction from the DVD sales. I think they're asking for a little too much though.

Yeah but none of the talk shows are making money via DVD or Online.

 

[Wreckem]

Originally posted by: Farang
Is there any point in which we'll see a large amount of scabs take over? There are a lot of people wanting to break into the industry, I see the politics of it getting in the way but maybe only up to a certain point?

The A-list writers will eventually force the rest in the WGA to accept a deal.

 

[CPA]

I only watch sports and American Idol, so I don't give much of a crap concerning their bitching and moaning that they didn't have the vision to include royalties related to new and future technology.

 

[spittledip]

Originally posted by: CPA
I only watch sports and American Idol, so I don't give much of a crap concerning their bitching and moaning that they didn't have the vision to include royalties related to new and future technology.

It's not about what you care about, just so you know

 

[HombrePequeno]

Originally posted by: Wreckem

Originally posted by: HombrePequeno
I can understand their gripe. The industry is making a ton off of DVD sales and a decent amount from electronic sell-through which the writer's are only seeing a tiny fraction from the DVD sales. I think they're asking for a little too much though.

Yeah but none of the talk shows are making money via DVD or Online.

I guess I wasn't really talking about talk show writers. Of course they have nothing to gripe about. But they're in the union too so they have to go along with it.

 

[soundforbjt]

Leno, Letterman, & Conan, etc. went back on the air for two reasons. One, the networks had to get them back on the air, Two, they also did it so the rest of their workers and staff would have employment.

 

[Bowfinger]

Originally posted by: palehorse74

Originally posted by: miketheidiot

Originally posted by: palehorse74
I just think it's hard to feel sorry for people who already make $250,000/yr... and I don't watch a lot of mindless TV, so I can't say I really miss them either!

I do respect Leno and Conan for their decision to support the other staff who would have been laid off. I think that's pretty decent of them.

writers don't make that much.

I actually saw an article that had their average pegged at about $200k/yr, depending on the show.

How far off do you think I am?

That is perhaps true for those very few lucky enough to be in full-time gigs on big shows. Such windfalls are usually transient, however, and the vast majority of writers make a small fraction of that in any given year.

 

[dawp]

Originally posted by: soundforbjt
Leno, Letterman, & Conan, etc. went back on the air for two reasons. One, the networks had to get them back on the air, Two, they also did it so the rest of their workers and staff would have employment.

letterman owns his own show so was able to come to an agreement seperate from the network. His writers are back with the show.

 

[Wheezer]

Leno, Letterman, & Conan, etc. went back on the air for two reasons. One, the networks had to get them back on the air, Two, they also did it so the rest of their workers and staff would have employment.

which is exactly why I think this whole thing is B.S.

The writers don't want what is "fair", they just want.

"Fair" would be taking into consideration all the other people affected by their choice, not just the audience.

That is why I have a hard time feeling sorry for them, they are already getting money from the sale of DVD material, and since they didn't get a little more they screwed all their fellow employees that are not members of their union who get nothing from the sale of DVD's and also work on the shows.