Custom Search

Sunday, February 10, 2008

WGA Strike Ending Vote


I had no sooner clipped the coupon for the rope that I was going to hang myself with from the Sunday paper Home Depot flyer and I was saved by what is supposedly the end to the Writers Guild Strike. Much like most of America and I’m sure all you Canadian satellite dish TV borrowers (wink, wink), I have been at my wits end with reruns and reality television programs that seem to go nowhere other than proving that there are jerks in the world that will do anything for a dollar.

I’ve backed the Writers Guild of America from the start of the strike because of the simple fact that writers create the content that shows up on the screen. Everything you see on your television or buy online of any television series was written by someone and in that effort they deserve to be monetized wherever that product is sold. If somebody is getting paid to resell that content then the writers deserve payment too!

Over at the Washington Post they have this to say on the WGA strike resolution vote.

Guild Leaders Urging Writers to Vote

By LYNN ELBER
The Associated Press
Sunday, February 10, 2008; 6:34 PM

LOS ANGELES -- The Writers Guild of America moved swiftly Sunday toward a resolution of its three-month-old strike, with guild leaders deciding to recommend the contract to members and ask them to vote on a quick end to the walkout.

By calling for separate votes on ending the strike and accepting the contract, the union cleared the way for the entertainment industry to return to work almost immediately.
Membership meetings will be held Tuesday in New York and Los Angeles to allow writers to decide whether the strike should be brought to a speedy end, said Patric Verrone, president of the guild's West Coast branch.

"This the best deal this guild has bargained for in 30 years," Verrone said.

The tentative contract secures writers a share of the burgeoning digital-media market, he said, including compensation for Internet-delivered TV shows and movies.

"If they (producers) get paid, we get paid. This contract makes that a reality," Verrone said. But, he added, "it is not all we hoped for and it is not all we deserved."
- Washington Post

Neither party really wins in these sort of situations but they are necessary for the progression of fair business and fair labor practices for future generations of writers and producers. All of the lost wages by the writers and producers working for the entertainment industry will never be recouped but the principal of the strike was sound. Congratulations go out to both sides for coming to a possible resolution to some of the issues they have.

In the end the real winner in this discussion is the customer that views or reads the products created from the minds of not just individual writers but groups of them that make that favorite television show possible. You the viewer will benefit from the fact that the people writing those dramas, comedy and family based shows will have fresh writers ready to burn up the keyboards and make your television come to life once more. Now that the throw up reality crap is not the only thing to watch, real mind blowing twists and turns and plots of deviation with an evil undertone where the sexual innuendo is a mile a minute will broadcast into our homes once more. And that is just the cooking shows….

Papamoka

Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

AddThis Social Bookmark Button

Friday, November 16, 2007

Writers Guild of America Supporter


When it comes time to putting your ideas from your head to the written page not many people can do just that. Some folks like the writers for many of the sitcoms and talk shows you watch every day do just that for a living. I’m just a blogger and my words do not reach a large audience but the writers on strike, their written work does. Every movie you watch, television show, talk show and Broadway play was created by individuals with the gift to write. They deserve a just compensation when the words they have written are successful in any media format.




I’m just one Blogger and I am throwing my full support and appreciation behind the Writers Guild of America. Papamoka Straight Talk is backing all of the writers on strike and all supporters of the WGA till the two parties come to a reasonable agreement. Somewhere in the middle is that possibility and both sides need to talk to one another. Till then I am supporting my fellow brother and sisters in the writing world.


Writers, studios to resume talks, sources say

Richard Verrier and Meg James, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
7:15 PM PST, November 16, 2007

Hollywood's film and TV writers have agreed to go back to the negotiating table Nov. 26 in hopes of etching out a deal with major studios that would end a bruising strike that began two weeks ago. - LA Times

Just a couple of links that are supporting or reporting the WGA strike…

Variety with tons of links and news…

New York Times Strike - TV Decoder… Lots of latest updates

Strike Points… A WGA writers blog with their side of the story

Writers Guild of America, West… Latest and greatest from the union

Supporting Unions everywhere is the only way to progress workers rights and benefits. The studios and the networks will only do what is right if they are forced to do so by this strike.

Shame on the networks and studios for trying to weasel out from what is right.

Papamoka

Feel free to copy and paste any part of this post but please credit the site.

*****Wall Street Journal Online has linked to this post...
*****Reuters has cross posted this post...
*****My new friend Claudia from I'm From Worcester has linked to this post...

Technorati Tags:
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Labels: , , , , , ,

AddThis Social Bookmark Button