LINK TO STORY HERE:
Won't even make the statement, "I try to avoid controversy/politics/religion on this business website."
Because I do, and I don't.
The strike by the WGA is something which will effect this blog.
Uh, in about 2075.
And a complementary strike by the DGA and SAG?
Same.
For the reading impaired, Yours truly ain't anti-union. Belonged to three. Dad was a member of OPW for 36 years. Grew up in a household which survived three strikes. Two of them difficult for a Mom and Dad trying to raise three kids on an unskilled laborer's salary.
And I would like to see the strike(s) settled. Really. No reason to have to read the same propaganda AGAIN.
Such as;
- Union Membership unable to pay bills.
- Producer's (Management) unwilling to concede.
- Evil Monopoly Men control everything.
The last one is a particular fave. Also, with a nod to others, "WGA families face critical shortfalls in food and clothing: Women and Minorities to be affected first."
Pay attention. Every time there is a paradigm, or at least significant, shift in technology, the entertainment industry doesn't seem capable of acknowledging the need to restructure payment strata for those who contribute to the product. Streaming Services are the latest advance in tech. There does need to be some additional compensation for the writers, actors, and directors. Something. Make a good faith offer and everyone STFU.
Won't happen.
The producers have a TON of leverage right now. There is enough streaming content to carry the viewing public into 2100 AD. This ain't the world where everyone watched Seinfeld the night it broadcast, then gathered at the proverbial water cooler the next morning to discuss the show.
The late night shows are in reruns, but since six people watch them, it's not a big hit to the network bottom line.
I am not advocating for some long work stoppage filled with recriminations, acrimony, and media stupidity. But, unless the writers come up with a modest increase, and the producers decide it makes them look like the winners, no contract will be signed by the WGA, DGA, and SAG.
Which means Stephen Colbert will continue to tell the same Donald Trump jokes from 2018.
And that's not going to move the negotiations anywhere.
Ahem. Stay tuned.