The decision by the editors of the Huffington Post to place the writers' strike at the top of the masthead yesterday reflects (in my opinion) an understanding of exactly why this fight matters. It did not reflect, as has been both humorously and impatiently suggested by some comments I read,...

The Writers Guild of America is a middle-class union. Almost half our membership receives no income from Guild-covered employment in any given year. As a result, the median income of Guild members from screen and television writing work is $5,000 per year. That's right: five thousand.

Among the lucky half...