HOLLYWOOD writers took to the picket lines on Monday to begin their first strike against the US film and television industry in nearly two decades after last-ditch talks to avoid a walk-out broke down.
Writers in New York were the first to down tools, with several dozen members of the 12,000-strong Writers Guild of America (WGA) manning a picket line outside the NBC network’s studios at the Rockefeller Center.
The WGA has been fighting with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) over payments from DVD and Internet broadcasts, seeking to secure a larger cut of the profits with an increase from around five cents per sale to around eight cents.
‘The producers just can’t get away with it any more. It’s just a whole bunch of corporate greed,’ said Peter Brash, a writer on the soap ‘As the World Turns’ who was picketing in New York.
Around 15 picket lines were set up at studios and production facilities across Los Angeles, with strikers warning they were ready for the long haul.
At the Disney studios in Burbank, writers were given lyrics to several pro-union chants, including: ‘Network bosses, rich and rude, We don’t like your attitude!’
The early casualties of the strike were talk shows, soap operas, and comedy programs.
The two major US late-night talk shows ‘The Tonight Show with Jay Leno’ and ‘The Late Show with David Letterman,’ which both rely heavily on teams of union writers, were among the first shows due to go off the air later on Monday.
A federal mediator presided over a last-ditch effort on Sunday to avert the strike, but as of Monday no negotiations were taking place.
A similar writers’ strike in 1988 lasted 22 weeks and cost the industry an estimated 500 million dollars.
Yesterday strikers were saying that they had the support of the Teamsters union, whose drivers will not be crossing picket lines, and that this could bring the dispute to a successful conclusion more rapidly than was being predicted.
On Friday night the WGA Negotiating Committee, on behalf of the Writers of Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), issued the following statement regarding Contract 2007 negotiations:
Early today, the WGA completely withdrew its DVD proposal, which the Companies said was a stumbling block. Yet, the Companies still insisted on the following:
• No jurisdiction for most of new media writing.
• No economic proposal for the part of new media writing where they do propose to give coverage.
• Internet downloads at the DVD rate.
• No residual for streaming video of theatrical product.
• A ‘promotional’ proposal that allows them to reuse even complete movies or TV shows on any platform with no residual. This proposal alone destroys residuals.
• A ‘window’ of free reuse on the Internet that makes a mockery of any residual.
The AMPTP made no response to any of the other proposals that the WGA has made since July. The AMPTP proposed that today’s meeting be ‘off the record,’ meaning no press statements, but they have reneged on that.
On Saturday the Board of Directors of the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Council of the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), acting upon the authority granted them by their memberships, voted unanimously to call a strike, effective 12.01 am, on Monday, November 5.
The decision was made following over three months of negotiations between the WGA and the AMPTP.
To date, the studios have not responded to a single one of the WGA’s important proposals, including Internet reuse, original writing for new media, DVDs, and jurisdiction.
On October 18, WGAW and WGAE members voted by an overwhelming majority of 90.3 per cent to authorise a strike if a fair deal was not reached by the October 31 contract expiration date.
WGAW President Patric M Verrone told a press conference on Saturday afternoon: ‘As many of you know, three weeks ago the Members of the Writers Guild of America voted overwhelmingly to authorise a strike if we could not reach a fair and reasonable deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
‘To avoid this outcome, we have been engaged in negotiations for more than three months to resolve our differences.
‘Over that time, we dropped nine of our proposals in the interest of reaching a resolution.
‘However, the studios have not responded to a single one of our important proposals. Every issue that matters to writers, including Internet reuse, original writing for new media, DVDs, and jurisdiction, has been ignored.
‘In recent years, these conglomerates have enjoyed tremendous financial success off the backs of literally tens of thousands of people – including members of the creative community. One part of that community is the writers, whose work serves as the blueprint for programs and movies.
‘And, although the industry’s pie is continually growing, our share continues to shrink.
‘Rather than address our members’ primary concern, the studios made it clear that they would rather shut down the town than reach a fair and reasonable deal.
‘This past Wednesday, the AMPTP called a halt to talks by demanding that the Guild accept the extension of the current DVD formula to new media.
‘This is not an action that anyone takes lightly. But it slowly became apparent that the studios are not prepared to deal fairly with writers and the rest of the talent community.
‘The companies have refused to agree that writers must receive fair compensation when the writers’ work is broadcast on the Internet or downloaded on iPods and cell phones.
‘The companies are seeking to take advantage of new technology to drastically reduce the residual income that sustains middle class writers and keeps them in the business. Their proposals would destroy the very pool of creative talent that is the basis of their immense revenues and profits.
‘Twenty years ago, the companies forced writers to accept an unfairly low residual for home videos so that the market could grow. And, even though those markets did grow to become an extremely profitable revenue stream, the residuals never did.
‘The fact is there was no need for conflict on this issue – the companies are doing very well in the marketplace. As the chairman of one of the Big Six media conglomerates recently stated, the Internet is a source of additional income.
‘Television and film sales to the Internet have not to date cannibalized viewers from broadcast and cable. And the economics of digital distribution are even more favourable than the economics of DVDs. Digital has no hard media costs, no boxes, no marginal extra shipping and handling.
‘The only substantial economic issue for Internet reuse is the residual payment to directors, actors, and writers.
‘That is why our position is simple and fair: when a writer’s work generates revenue for the companies, that writer deserves to be paid.
‘For the creative community, for the city of Los Angeles, and for all viewers who have come to appreciate our work product, we are sorry that the studios have put us where we are.
‘We are committed to seeing this through and are willing to engage in any further discussions if the studios so desire.
WGA East President Michael Winship added:
‘As Patric has said, the Council of the Writers Guild of America, East, today joined the Writers Guild West Board and unanimously approved the Negotiating Committee’s recommendation to strike.
‘This is not a decision we take lightly. In fact, we make it with great sadness. There is still time and a deal to be made before this strike begins. We urge the studios and networks to come back and bargain fairly.’
Earlier before a standing-room-only audience of 3,000 Writers Guild members in the Los Angeles Convention Center’s West Hall in downtown LA on Thursday night, the Writers Guild of America Negotiating Committee, announced its unanimous recommendation to call a strike against the film studios and television networks that make up the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
Screen Actors Guild President Alan Rosenberg joined the Negotiating Committee onstage to voice his union’s support of writers.
Members spent three hours in frank discussion of the report and recommendation. From microphones on the floor, WGA members expressed their anger at the Companies’ refusal to bargain seriously, reiterating their overwhelming support for the Negotiating Committee, Guild leadership, and for the bargaining agenda of the WGA.