possible WGA strike

[wyzguy]

"On the film side, the delay means an acceleration of production and stockpiling of scripts, followed by a "de facto strike" next summer as studios stop launching film production once they can no longer be wrapped by Oct. 31. In TV, the prospect of a work stoppage means studios and networks will try to shoot more episodes of scripted series and will be less inclined to launch series while planning for more reality, news and sports programming."


Full article at http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117954565.html?categoryid=1236&cs=1

The WGA has decided not to renegotiate a new contract until September next year. What are the thoughts about this? Variety's article suggests there will be a short term upswing in script purchases. What about Canadian, British or other off-shore productions?

[Mac H.]

They must be mad. The WGA just had a strike at 'America's Next Top Model'.

The result? Utter, total failure.

The strikers ate humble pie, withdrew ALL their demands and asked for their jobs back.
Which they didn't get. The writers who striked (under the guidance of the WGA) are now unemployed.

Since the last strike the WGA organised was such a failure, why would they be considering doing another one ?

Mac

[Goodwriterguy]

They must be mad. The WGA just had a strike at 'America's Next Top Model'.

The result? Utter, total failure.

The strikers ate humble pie, withdrew ALL their demands and asked for their jobs back.
Which they didn't get. The writers who striked (under the guidance of the WGA) are now unemployed.

Since the last strike the WGA organised was such a failure, why would they be considering doing another one ?

Mac
This sounds odd to me. I've never heard of individual writers walking off a particular show and I'd think the WGA would have advised against it.

If the show was not abiding by the Minimum Basic Agreement that would be a dispute between the Guild and the show, not between the particular writers and the show. And, the WGA does not normally negotiate particular deals with particular shows, they negotiate with the industry as a whole and reach agreement on the MBA, which all sig producers are then obliged to comply with.

Unions almost always act in the whole, not in some minor part. And, when a sig producer abrogates or fails to comply with the MBA, the Guild merely attempts to negotiate with them to resolve the issue or takes them to court for breach of contract. But have individual writers walk off? Highly unusual, and, bound to fail.

I dunno, it just sounds very odd.

[Mac H.]

This sounds odd to me. I've never heard of individual writers walking off a particular show and I'd think the WGA would have advised against it.

.. But have individual writers walk off? Highly unusual, and, bound to fail.

I dunno, it just sounds very odd.The issue was that, as a reality show, the work was fundamentally non-guild.

However the writers for the show (yes, they do have writers for reality shows!) wanted to be covered under the Guild & MBA, so went on strike with the WGA's support.

Mac

[Goodwriterguy]

This sounds odd to me. I've never heard of individual writers walking off a particular show and I'd think the WGA would have advised against it.

If the show was not abiding by the Minimum Basic Agreement that would be a dispute between the Guild and the show, not between the particular writers and the show. And, the WGA does not normally negotiate particular deals with particular shows, they negotiate with the industry as a whole and reach agreement on the MBA, which all sig producers are then obliged to comply with.

Unions almost always act in the whole, not in some minor part. And, when a sig producer abrogates or fails to comply with the MBA, the Guild merely attempts to negotiate with them to resolve the issue or takes them to court for breach of contract. But have individual writers walk off? Highly unusual, and, bound to fail.

I dunno, it just sounds very odd.
This paragraph from the Variety article sort of explains the oddness:

Counter often has engaged in pre-negotiations posturing to paint the WGA as overly aggressive and unrealistic. But he's been particularly perturbed by the conduct of Verrone and Young with regard to the campaign to seek increased revs from product placement for writers on TV shows; the guild's attempts to organize reality TV writers; its sponsorship of lawsuits by reality-show writers alleging wage and overtime violations; and its denunciations of ABC Disney's decision to pay iPod residuals at the lower homevideo rate.

So ... reality shows are not sig producers and need not pay their writers Guild minimums. Not surprisingly, the Guild has made attempts to bring them into the fold.

I knew I didn't like reality shows!

It's SNAFU, people fighting over the spoils, goes on all the time in this economy, common as apple pie.

[tourdeforce]

Are these reality show 'writers' more accurately categorized as producers (probably the titles they currently hold)?

Do they actually write dialogue? Copy?

What are they writing? Seems like it might be more story development and segment producing.

Will recognition of their segment producing as writing open a door to requiring writing credit for all producers involved in the process of developing a story?

[Goodwriterguy]

Are these reality show 'writers' more accurately categorized as producers (probably the titles they currently hold)?

Do they actually write dialogue? Copy?

What are they writing? Seems like it might be more story development and segment producing.

Will recognition of their segment producing as writing open a door to requiring writing credit for all producers involved in the process of developing a story?
Interesting insights and intersting questions.

It would appear the Guild thinks they're writing, and recall, the Guild represents not only feature writers and network television writers but radio writers as well.

I don't know what they write, I can't believe they're writing dialogue. Maybe setups in scenario form or something.

Keep in mind too that the rise of "reality" shows occurred in no small part because of their bigger bang for the investment buck, they make a producer more money than any equivelant half-hour or hour on the tube. No SAG actors, no DGA directors, no WGA writers; they may be all non-union productions for all I know. The concept was proven out in England from whence the genre came to America. The ROI numbers were pretty impressive. Producers jumped at it. Participants were easily attracted. A million ideas were floated. We probably haven't seen the last of it yet.

But for those interested in writing drama or sitcoms, it's a dead ender.

I don't think the Guild will win this one. But, ya never know.

They have a bigger fight with the digital revolution.

[icerose]

Well you don't think the hosts of those reality tv shows write their own witty comments do you? There are writers, it would be more loose and open like, less specific, and less written, probably senarios and such.