Friday, November 30, 2007

A Strike Sitrep

Photo by Lisa Klink on Flickr.

United Hollywood fills in the details on what went down in the latest round of talks with the media moguls and a Teamster lays out some numbers to consider.

Mark Verheiden posts an email from the creator of Without a Trace, Hank Steinberg. If what Steinberg suggests is true, this strike will go on for weeks.

Also check out a recent strike news round up from Maureen Ryan.

Keep sending pencils.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The latest "offer" by the global media conglomerates was nothing more than a negotiating gambit to lock-in a worse deal than the original by dangling money up-front.

Hollywood has always been about the percentage and the greedy media companies sought to switch it to a "flat-tax" model. You know the type of income tax the Repuglicans are always trotting out as a "fairer" means of taxation but would really impact the poor and working class by taking a relatively larger bite out of their incomes while locking in lower taxation rates for the rich ...

The writers must firmly and angrily reject this joke of an "offer."

The revenue pie has become much larger with videogames, DVDs and online downloads and the greedy media conglomerates are seeking to lock-in most of that INCREASE in the revenue pie for themselves and the shareholders and screw the talent and the workers.

The writers should go back to the negotiating table and demand MORE than their first position, not less. They should demand 5% of any download fee or any DVD, etc.

The scumbag global media companies are in this for the long haul and have a long-term agenda to break unions and drive down overall wages. These "free trade" agreements around the world and supported by such industries as the global media conglomerates and they seek to pit the workers of the Third World and the developing world against those of the First World and they've been very successful at it since the late 70s .... That is the game people.

EVERYONE needs to support the writers because ... You're next.

Logan Gawain said...

Excellent observations. I agree with everything you said. The interesting thing is that the writers are asking for less than you suggest they should go for. They only want the 4 cents per DVD to go up to 8 cents. And they want 2.5% on internet new media and they'd probably settle for less, as long as it's any percentage close to 2.5.