It’s on like Donkey Kong, kids. Writers announce tomorrow when they’re officially going to start picketing. In all likelihood I’m going to have to cross my first picket line on Monday, something I’m not at all happy about.
But I need this job and especially the health insurance it provides, so I’ll drive past my picketing friends on Monday, go into the office, and try to figure out what the hell to do from there.
And I hope to hell they’ll understand.
Good luck.
What I can’t understand is how this isn’t a huge story on any non-LA Web sites. MSNBC.com has an Entertainment section, but click on it and the lead “story” is “Will Izzie and George ever do the deed sober?”, whoever they are.
Britney shows her crotch and it’s front-page news. A monstrous industry that actually is part of the daily lives of nearly every American is about to come to a grinding halt and it’s a passing mention at best.
Generally, I’m not one for “The Mainstream Media are Evil!” conspiracy theories, but it’s certainly worth noting that most major media outlets are owned by the same corporations that own the studios.
It’s also pretty telling that most people here in L.A. think the studios are being complete jackasses (although that’s often immediately followed by the statement that the writers are as well), but most major media outlets are painting the writers as a bunch of greedy fuckers trying to squeeze out more money for work that’s already been done.
The problem is, this is how the payment structure in the entertainment industry (Movies, TV, Books and Music) has worked for decades: You pay people a relatively small amount up front, and then you pay them more if the project becomes a success. The question at hand is how much more, and frankly, in my opinion, the studios are being completely unreasonable in terms of sharing even a little bit of money with the creative forces that drive this industry. A hit movie or TV show prints money for the studios, sometimes for years. I don’t think it’s at all unreasonable for writers to want a fair share of that.
That’s why I like Finke over at Deadline Hollywood Daily: She can be a pompous ass, but she calls all sides on their bullshit. It should not come as a surprise that she works for L.A. Weekly, the local independent paper.
does crossing the picket line have any repercussions?
Other than feeling really horrible about it? Not for me. The writers are well aware that a lot of us broke-ass non-union folk desperately need these jobs and will work until the day we’re laid off. But that day won’t be too far out for most, we can only shoot what’s already written, and that’s one more episode.
In addition, several of the unions (SAG, DGA, and IATSE) are actually contractually obligated not to honor picket lines, as they can be immediately and permanently replaced if they do so.
The Teamsters (who rep the drivers, the location scouts, and for some weird reason the casting directors) are the only union in town with language in their contract that specifically protects their jobs for honoring other unions’ pickets.
Everyone else is fucked if they refuse to cross. So we’ll all bite our tongues and cross until we’re all laid off. But at least then, we can collect unemployment.
wow. this really sucks balls.
Yeah, that’s about the long and short of it.