Writers' Union Declares "Huge Victory" With New Contract, Strike Coming To An End

LA Weekly:

SUNDAY 12:30 PM: At the WGA's news conference today, union leaders declared the new contract is "a huge victory for us". Trumpeted WGAW President Patric Verrone, "This is the first time we actually got a better deal in a new media than previously." Verrone credited News Corp. No. 2 Peter Chernin and Disney chief Bob Iger, and also CBS boss Les Moonves, with "being instrumental in making this deal happen" after the WGA spent 3 months "getting nowhere" with the AMPTP negotiators and lawyers. WGA negotiating committee chief John Bowman added that, "What happened to the Golden Globes was instrumental in getting the CEOs to this table. It was a huge symbol."

Read the whole story: LA Weekly

Comments

[wm1066]

12:54 PM on 02/12/2008

I am glad you won.
I am glad you stood up to the corporate powers.
I feel sorry for the people who seemed put out because thier favorite shows were in reruns.
How pathetic is that! These are the same people who say if your not doing anything wrong why should you object to the government looking up your ass.
There is a shift in America right now. And the message is we HAVE to fight to get our freedoms back. The rich have been stealing our standard of living for too long.
We no longer will roll over and take it.

[protagonia]

11:46 AM on 02/11/2008

Man, there are some angry people on the keyboards today.

Just want to say that along with the lighter stuff, writers brought America some very thoughtful and cogent works, over the last few years. All of that was put on hold for 3 months too.

More truth has come from them that all of the MSM put together.

I applaud the writers for their victory.

[Wrong2bRight]

11:56 AM on 02/11/2008

Angry? No. Thoughtful work? No. Recycled sitcoms? Yes.

It's hardly a victory. They needed to get something to make the strike look as if it wasn't worthless. And they screwed everyone else along the way. Nothing more.

[protagonia]

02:52 PM on 02/11/2008

Wrong2bRight,

The alternative would have been to accept a demotion of 100 percent in pay for new media. Only a sociopath would find that fair, and you don't reveal yourself to be like that. Certainly you can sort through the less creative things to find the better works. Along side Barney is the SIMPSONS. It's a balance. You are capable of seeing that, aren't you?

[protagonia]

02:59 PM on 02/11/2008

The above comment was typed in 10 or so other comments down. Got bumped to the top.

[Wrong2bRight]

11:07 AM on 02/11/2008

Huge victory my ass. Everyone hates the WGA. A bunch of overpaid greedy writers trying to extort money from overpaid greedy producers. Meanwhile people who make honest wages can work so they suffer.

[protagonia]

03:02 PM on 02/11/2008

Wrong2bRight

Not everyone is overpaid in the writing field. Agreed, a few are, though most are just hanging on - like in virtually any other industry. Not unlike blaming an auto assembly-line worker for striking, and holding the CEO up as an example of the shared wealth in the company.

You must be aware of that fact, your writing is clever enough to show an otherwise informed individual. No agenda, other than your honest opinion, right?

But you seem quite selective as to which overpaid group to address as harmful to America. There are lots of people paid way more to do far more harm. You have it in for writers, it would appear.

[coyote4]

03:32 PM on 02/11/2008

Everyone in the media field is overpaid, while real wages have slipped for most folks. Most industries have taken pay adjustments: why not also the Entertainment industry?

[Chris]

08:23 AM on 02/11/2008

Huge victory? Enough to make up for the 3 months of lost wages and not to mention all those people not part of the guild that have been out of work becuase of this.

[FeloniouslyAnnoying]

03:55 AM on 02/11/2008

They've had three months off; they better have thought up some good shit while they were on their break.

[waitng]

02:58 AM on 02/11/2008

This is one of the few job sectors left that the unions have an influence in contracts. These are the people that come up with the totally worthless crap that MSM has been putting out for decades(since the invention of radio & tv) which is basically the mind control used to cow the people into thinking about nothing that matters. This is like the people in the oil or arms industries going on strike and getting that bigger pay check.
Guess these are some of the creativiness job markets that are what education is all about these days.

[Gary47]

02:07 AM on 02/11/2008

Oh great, back to more different crap on TV, and neighbors ignoring each other. It was a nice respite while it lasted.

[coyote4]

08:50 PM on 02/10/2008

Now that y'all got a raise, I hope you can raise the level of typical tripe that you typically write a bit also. Your absence has not been missed in the slightest. TV has actually improved without fresh shit being pumped into our already fat and lazy brains.

Face it, Hollywood writes and produces CRAP. Please, I beg you; now that you have proved your power over your bosses, REFUSE TO WRITE SHIT. From now on insist that only the best from your fingers will be produced.

My 12 year old (who discovered and has downloaded every last audio and video of BBC's very clever Dr. Who), puts it this way: “EVERYTHING IS DUMBED DOWN FOR TV.”

Do you get that? Out of the mouth of babes: you make stupid, and you make Americans stupider with your pap and trite crap.

[JaneaneTheAcerbicGoblin]

07:00 PM on 02/10/2008

I hope this ends the strike, but honestly, I haven't missed the crappy TV the writers, producers, and directors all put out.

[Alvin4NY]

12:46 PM on 02/11/2008

I can't tell a difference since the strike has been going, I can't remember the last time I watched a Network show, other than the late night news, Letterman, and Stewart. Probably "Six Feet Under" when it was on. Good writing on that.

[JaneaneTheAcerbicGoblin]

01:08 AM on 02/12/2008

It's pretty telling that you say that (can't tell the difference). I can't either. While the progressive in me says I'm glad that the writers did pretty well, the crap they call "writing" makes me wonder whether they deserve congratulations. It's a legitimate issue.

[degjack]

06:33 PM on 02/10/2008

I am thrilled about the writer's victory. Let this be the beginning of a resurgence of the union movement in this country, and Ronald Reqgan, eff you!

[NC4Obama]

05:43 PM on 02/10/2008

Does this mean the writers can come back to work Monday?

I haven't been informed of the threat that BEARS are in a while and iam worried they might take over the country soon unless we get a update on them.

[ScandalousCandice]

05:27 PM on 02/10/2008

Good now get your fucking asses back to work already. I understand the writers were getting screwed but those money hungry jerks made us suffer with reality t.v.