Scabbing and Strikebreaking are such dirty and negative words. How about making money. Is that what we all should be doing. I once had a job a Target. It wasn't great but I worked really hard because, that was how my parents raised me. It is also why I have little time to write on this subject, because I work too hard. Now my beef with these losers walking around backing up traffic and talking on the Iphones and blackberries and screaming to stop productions, is that they are doing just that and not working. While at Target they had rules about pay and pay increases and they could only be so much. It got to the point where I was doing a huge portion of my team's work and not being compensated for it. The best i got was the maximum pay increase the rules allowed. Plus my superiors were very glad I was there and made it known to me how valuable it was that I was there. After two years of working the graveyard shift at Target (because I was also going to school) I had to go. I had my fill of Target and knew that I could find a better paying job and that I would be worth it. They offered me more money but it came with more responsibility and I had to way the costs and it didn't add up.
My point to this is that I wanted more money so "I" quit and "I" found another job that payed more money and have been doing so for my entire life and will do so until I die. That is why I live in America because with the right education and hard work I can achieve whatever "I" want. Not what someone else wants but "me" and my family.
How can one trust the other 3,000 members of this Writers Union, that they all want the same thing. You can't that is impossible. For a few negotiators to solve the needs of 3,000 impossible. The Writers Union as it exists is designed to restrict, the rules and regulations of the Union inhibit progress and revenue more than the big moguls that they are picketing against.
The Writers Union should be changing it's purpose and not stand as a Union but as an Organization the supports those that need it help. These practices are already in place in the Union except they are tied up in the rules and regulations of the "Union" Why can't I, (as a future filmmaker and writer) benefit from some of the help and support services of the WGA and not be forced to abide by all its rules. The Union as we can see has such a hold on the industry that for new upcoming talent it is impossible to succeed without having to succumb to the Union.
I feel my statements have not been 100% clear. But here are some facts I would like to share.
The majority of the WGA is made up of non-working writers. Those famous people you see on TV are either not WGA members or they are probably not working as writers. The actual working writers were up until midnight the night before the strike finishing scripts. For some reason I could see myself as one of those writers working my hardest to finish the job before I was forced by the "Union" (that was created to help me) to stop working. It is like you were fired and quit by yourself but didn't want to.
Next the WGA states that they withdrew their demand for a 4 cent increase in DVD sales and only wanted the percentages for online revenue to match that of TV. If this is true or not it made little difference to the AMPTP because at that late hour on Sunday night back on the East Coast the WGA East had already gone on strike. Did the negotiators for the WGA West not think that the AMPTP would know about the East Coast going on strike at midnight (all those out work new yorkies were eager for something to do and they get free drinks and food).
So when a friend makes a deal with you but he already knows the outcome and you discover that he already knows what is going to happen, Do you still trust him, do you still believe him when he says that he does not want increase on the DVD sales.
Also previously on this blog was an article about the father of Unionizing Karl Marx, If you are reading this and don't know who I am then find it and read. It wasn't written here it is just a link
There is so much on this topic to discuss.
The fact that the studion moguls really have no idea how to make money online. Despite what Tina Fey and Jon Stewart have said. If they knew how to make money they would be doing it. The internet is a dangerous place and devours most sites. So far few have succeeded in this game.
Writers shouldn't be worried about making more money they should be worried about losing there job, because the quality of online content is becoming far superior to that of TV.
This is a link to a ridiculous WGA video attempting to get sympathy for their cause. Now i havent confirmed it yet but whatever the base salary for a WGA member is they sure as hell can't claim the EIC tax credit.
video
This site is serious about not supporting the strike. Although I have nothing against writers making money but they should do it on their own like the rest of us.
2 comments:
i have been fortunate enough to never had to join a union and seriously would have a moral dilemma if i was told that I had to strike...
hopefully, this leads to an increase in writers going outside of the mainstream into more indy projects.
Let's face it, unions are heading towards extinction. You may be able to justify unions 50-75 years ago when workers truly suffered at the hands of their employers - now they just flex their muscles by attempting to shut down whatever industry they support, all in an effort to "level the playing field".Yes, the studios and producers are much wealthier than the writers, but who is risking the money to put these crap shows on the air. Its embarrasing that unscripted shows like "Curb" often have the best writing, or that "Best in Show" won an Oscar a few years back - I don't know that any of the troupe are members of the WGA.
FYI - there are often union protests downtown (usually having to do with construction) the dirty little secret is that 99% of the picketers you see are not union members - they are illegal aliens who have been hired for 20 dollars a day to walk around in circles yelling the few English words they were taight that morning. Its sad to see the state they are in.
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