2023 Writers Strike Scabs

[TikiSoo]

I'd rather avoid getting too political here in this forum but can't believe the celebrities caving. This week we heard on the news that Drew Barrymore will resume her talk show and yesterday, Bill Maher announced that he too will resume his show-both sans writers. (Maher IS the show's head writer)

What kind of message is that sending to their colleagues at WGA? I thought it was great when SAG joined in solidarity with the Writers to help give their absence more bite.

Not working is awful, especially when you've historically been badly paid. And consider their intent of protecting their work from replacement by computer programs. There's no way of knowing where that can go, so protecting each element as it arises is really the best they can ask for.

Sure, it's awful for us not to have any new shows, I'm missing new SNL shows most of all, but patiently waiting for artist's better protection is how I show my solidarity with their cause.
I really like Drew Barrymore & watched Maher's show every week. But I'm disappointed they have capitulated and unsure if I'll ever watch them again.
Anyone else?

[jamesjazzguitar]

I'd rather avoid getting too political here in this forum but can't believe the celebrities caving. This week we heard on the news that Drew Barrymore will resume her talk show and yesterday, Bill Maher announced that he too will resume his show-both sans writers. (Maher IS the show's head writer)

What kind of message is that sending to their colleagues at WGA? I thought it was great when SAG joined in solidarity with the Writers to help give their absence more bite.

Not working is awful, especially when you've historically been badly paid. And consider their intent of protecting their work from replacement by computer programs. There's no way of knowing where that can go, so protecting each element as it arises is really the best they can ask for.

Sure, it's awful for us not to have any new shows, I'm missing new SNL shows most of all, but patiently waiting for artist's better protection is how I show my solidarity with their cause.
I really like Drew Barrymore & watched Maher's show every week. But I'm disappointed they have capitulated and unsure if I'll ever watch them again.
Anyone else?

If such shows don't need writers, then shouldn't they be able to go on without them without push back? A host that does his own writing isn't a scab, but instead a talent.

[TikiSoo]

If such shows don't need writers, then shouldn't they be able to go on without them without push back? A host that does his own writing isn't a scab, but instead a talent.

That's the difference between the opinions.
"News" is professionally written, yet that's been airing.

I just feel* that any WGA/SAG members (which includes everybody in the biz) need to abstain from working to back the Union, after all that's what Unions are about, isn't it?

* feel as in "emotional thinking". If you have opposing facts to support otherwise, I'd love to be enlightened for balance.

I just hated the results of the last big writer's strike resulting in the plethora of idiotic "reality" shows which obviously evolved into heavily edited, scripted shows. I really wish those who work so hard in the arts to stop being ripped off by big business. Insulting for both the artists and us, the audience.

[Dargo]

Considering that Maher has never really toted any (let's say) "official party line" and seems (especially lately) to want to cultivate his image as being a "maverick", his action here doesn't surprise me at all.

However, Barrymore's does a bit, as I've always gotten the impression that she's more the "Go Along to Get Along" type.

But then again I've never really followed nor been that interested in her career or in knowing her opinions, and so I suppose I could be way off target here about her.

(...and btw and speakin' of Drew here...am I only person in the world who always thought she looked a whole lot like George "Superman" Reeves...see what I MEAN here?!)

[jimimac71]

Last Saturday evening, there was no broadcast TV news on any channel until 8 PM.
I get my TV from SF. Fox has 2 channels as does CBS.
College football on every channel. This is becoming a habit.
Normally, someone would have news, if only one channel.
In the SF Bay Area, the CW channel moved to a different spot, allowing the second CBS channel.
The amount of newscasts is growing here, into prime-time.
In our house, it is local broadcast channels for news only. Everything else is the retro channels like MeTV.
Of course TCM!
Everyone needs more money because the price of everything increases.
I think streaming has muddied the waters.
We have Unions as employers can't be trusted.
I've read where "Yellowstone" will be on CBS this Fall. Probably showing all the previous seasons.
The Disney/Charter Communications situation is greed in my opinion.
Charter/Spectrum is different from Comcast/Xfinity. Charter is only cable services.
Disney wants even more money, raising the costs on Disney+, Hulu, etc.
I will add, cable television companies pay almost $9/month per subscriber for ESPN.
One of Disney's children. They might sell ABC.
I support the strike, except who's gonna pay the bills?

[jimimac71]

I use Microsoft Bing to earn Rewards Points. Been doing it for 10 years and have over a Million.
About $10/month which I use for gift cards or donations.
I have to use the Microsoft Edge browser, which FORCES the Bing AI Chat feature constantly.
I do not support where AI is going.
In my opinion AI used for writing is plagiarism. It needs previous information to create.
I do not believe AI thinks, it processes.

[Masha]

"News" is professionally written, yet that's been airing.

I just feel* that any WGA/SAG members (which includes everybody in the biz) need to abstain from working to back the Union, after all that's what Unions are about, isn't it?

It is my understanding that those involved in the production and presentation of news are of a different union:
"The NewsGuild (TNG-CWA) represents over 26,000 journalists and media workers at wire services, newspapers, magazines, and broadcast news. Established in 1933, it affiliated with the CWA in 1995." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communica ... of_America

[jamesjazzguitar]

Considering that Maher has never really toted any (let's say) "official party line" and seems (especially lately) to want to cultivate his image as being a "maverick", his action here doesn't surprise me at all.

However, Barrymore's does a bit, as I've always gotten the impression that she's more the "Go Along to Get Along" type.

But then again I've never really followed nor been that interested in her career or in knowing her opinions, and so I suppose I could be way off target here about her.

(...and btw and speakin' of Drew here...am I only person in the world who always thought she looked a whole lot like George "Superman" Reeves...see what I MEAN here?!)

I wouldn't assume either Maher or Barrymore are taking a political stance as it relates to the strike, but instead just a practical one. They wish for their shows to continue, and they don't need writers to do so. As I have pointed out before, the oddest demand that the WGA has is a minimum number of writers per "project", regardless of if these writers have anything to do.

Therefore, if I was a producer and I really don't need writers for a project (like these two T.V. shows), I would fire all the writers now so that if an agreement is reached, I wouldn't have to retain these writers that are not needed.

[ziggy6708a]

[txfilmfan]

So one issue is that many actors and people in front of the camera, especially A-listers, but going on down the line occasionally, are producers of their shows and films as well. So they're both "management" and "union" in this case. That's hardly ever the case with other industries. It complicates the picture. The producer side wants to get content sold - the actor side has to abide by the union rules.

I have no idea what the writers' issues are in particular, other than the bullet points I hear and read. The deep dive details are laden with industry language that is too hard for most of us (well, too hard for me, anyway) to follow intelligently, so it's difficult to understand . I would imagine that they are more generously compensated than the average American, though, and it would be tough for someone making minimum wage to feel a great deal of sympathy. It's not quite to the same level as when pro athletes go on strike, but it's somewhere between that example, and, say, coal miners going on strike.

Shutting down production affects a lot of folks - designers, builders, electricians/grips, camera & sound folks, post-production folks like editors, costume designers, hair stylists and makeup artists, caterers and on and on. It's not just the producers that are hurting.

Broadcasters and streamers will be OK for a long time. There is so much material in the vault that they can draw from and show, and they will still get ad revenue. Barring that, there's always game shows and reality shows, as already mentioned. [Edit: TV content providers could also import programming from elsewhere, such as the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc). Netflix already imports a lot of foreign (and foreign-language) content anyway.] Maybe network TV will start producing documentaries again? Theaters/cinemas will start to suffer soon, as new content dries up. Far fewer people are willing to pay admission prices to see older films, unless it's some big franchise like Star Wars or similar old blockbuster films.

[Dargo]

The following excerpt from your previous post here Tex...

...I have no idea what the writers' issues are in particular, other than the bullet points I hear and read. The deep dive details are laden with industry language that is too hard for most of us (well, too hard for me, anyway) to follow intelligently, so it's difficult to understand .

...reminding me of my (I guess you could say) "frustration" while watching the 'CBS Evening News' last night and their coverage of the UAW strike.

In this report they gave facetime to both that Union's PR man and to some high FoMoCo executive, and with the latter claiming that the union wants every lineworker to get an annual salary of $300,000 in pay and benefits. The report then went back to the UAW rep, however the reporter covering this story then failed to ask him if this was actually true. This being the question I would've asked him.

(...and seeing as how as they say, "The devil is in the details")

[jimimac71]

Perhaps a switch to ABC's Evening News Dargo.
In my area, it is the only network version of the news at 5:30.
My opinion would have to be calculating what a writer should make, is more complicated than people who assemble automobiles.
It is shocking to me how the National Minimum wage is $7.25/hour.
At the other end of the spectrum, should fast food employees be making $20/hour?
It isn't common for the minimum wage to be in the ballpark of $15/hour. It is chronically less.
Then you have people tossing around a pigskin, making millions, annually.
It makes sense to me for a writer to get a piece of the pie from any project they write.
At the same time, a writer should have a base salary. You know, more than peanut butter and crackers to eat.
We do have too many critical workers not getting their share.

[TikiSoo]

I would imagine that they are more generously compensated than the average American, though, and it would be tough for someone making minimum wage to feel a great deal of sympathy.
Shutting down production affects a lot of folks - designers, builders, electricians/grips, camera & sound folks, post-production folks like editors, costume designers, hair stylists and makeup artists, caterers and on and on. It's not just the producers that are hurting.

But I guarantee all those "periphery" employees belong to the Union as well as actors/writers, you won't be hired without it. All of them should be on strike because you need all of them to make a show. (some like hair/make up/caterers can still work outside the business)

And the biggest aspect that "regular" wage earners don't understand is the constant/sporadic nature of the actual work.
Aside from TV shows that employ steadily for a period of time, a movie is a one-off that gathers talent, uses the talent and then they're back to being unemployed until they get their next gig.

Actors are still constantly working without income while auditioning for the next gig. Writers are always still writing in hopes someone picks up their work. And many, many in the entertainment & arts business have to "give away" their work in exchange for "publicity" as an example of what they can do.

When people get some weird idea about "wages", realize these people may work steadily for 3 months, then 6 months looking for the next job! They can't seek/audition for the next job because their current position requires availability 24/7.

My work is like this and I've learned to sock away EVERYTHING and live off it piecemeal through the slower times.
I can't take out a loan -my credit score is zero- I can make $2000 one month and zero the next so have had to purchase both my home & car using money saved up for decades.
My entire 30 year career.
And people wonder why I apply for food prep/cashier/cleaning jobs when I'm such a "talent" and my job is working for rich people.

[Swithin]

An NYU economist (on CNN) has said that the writers/actors strike couldn't have come at a worse time. He contrasted their strike with other strikes. The UAW and Teamsters (UPS) strikes are against corporations making record profits. The writers/actors strikes are against an industry (e.g. Disney, Viacom) whose earnings are suffering.

[dianedebuda]

And the biggest aspect that "regular" wage earners don't understand is the constant/sporadic nature of the actual work.

There's a lot of us you may think of as "regular" wage earners that aren't. Contract workers, temp service "employees" and farmers are a few examples outside of the entertainment industry. Probably could throw in many restaurant staffs too. No union and no residuals. Perhaps you're not as unique in the feast or famine scheme as you think. We understand and empathize ... up to a point.