Posted December 6, 2011 | 12/6/11
Posted November 12, 2011 | 11/12/11
Posted October 3, 2011 | 10/3/11
In exclusive statements to the Hollywood Reporter, the Writers Guild of America, East and the LA County Federation of Labor have endorsed the Occupy protests in NY, LA and elsewhere. The WGA East slammed a "system that has diverted capital (to) a tiny handful of people," while the LA County...
Posted July 25, 2011 | 7/25/11
Posted July 9, 2011 | 7/9/11
Back in April, Viacom and Time Warner Cable sued each other; then last month Viacom sued Cablevision. Interestingly, that came just a day after Viacom and TWC filed a standstill agreement so that they could negotiate without the pressure of ongoing court deadlines.
In...
Posted June 24, 2011 | 6/24/11
Opposition to the PROTECT IP Act -- Hollywood-supported legislation intended to reduce content piracy and block counterfeit goods -- is growing among the tech community, with a letter blasting the bill released Thursday by more than fifty venture capitalists from forty firms that have funded many top Internet...
Posted May 16, 2011 | 5/16/11
The fur -- and feather boas -- are flying in New York, where the Broadway musicians' union is waging what the New York Times calls "an unusually aggressive, political-style campaign" against the producers of the musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert. The dispute centers on the use of...
Posted April 30, 2011 | 4/30/11
After at least two failed attempts, decades of discussion, recent year marked by acrimony and then reconciliation, the game is once again afoot, as Holmes would say: SAG and AFTRA are moving decisively closer to merger. The move today was SAG's, whose national board has now unanimously established a merger...
Posted April 12, 2011 | 4/12/11
The retirement plan is said to have lost $2-3 million because of an alleged breach of fiduciary duty by the bank. That's not a lot of money is percentage terms -- the Plan apparently has about $2 billion in assets -- but the suit alleges a disturbing situation...
Posted April 5, 2011 | 4/5/11
The WGA deal reached last month is on its way to the membership for a ratification vote - ballots are in the mail. Details: The Hollywood Reporter.
The WGA ballot ratification materials, which include letters from the leadership and the...
Posted March 25, 2011 | 3/25/11
The ratification vote will take place in April, before the existing contract's May 1 expiration. Details: The Hollywood Reporter.
On a separate note, I will be speaking at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles on April 12 at...
Posted March 21, 2011 | 3/21/11
Check out my new book "Hollywood on Strike!,"...
Posted January 23, 2011 | 1/23/11
The union's board allocates additional funding for task force working on merger; SAG president Ken Howard praises yesterday's AFTRA resolution regarding merger. Details: The Hollywood Reporter.
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Watch for my new book "Hollywood on Strike!," due out next month. Subscribe to my blog (jhandel.com) for more...
Posted January 23, 2011 | 1/23/11
For the first time, the union's national board votes on the current merger attempt, passing a key resolution "overwhelmingly"; the measure includes a statement that AFTRA leadership is "encouraged by the renewed interest expressed by SAG's current leadership."
Details: The Hollywood Reporter.
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Watch for my new...
Posted January 19, 2011 | 1/19/11
Lowell Peterson also confirms that there is no date set for negotiations. See The Hollywood Reporter exclusive.
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Watch for my new book "Hollywood on Strike!," due out next month. Subscribe to my blog (jhandel.com) for more about entertainment law and digital media law. Check out...
Posted December 31, 2010 | 12/31/10
Posted December 22, 2010 | 12/22/10
Goals include increases in minimums, pension and health, home video residuals and new media reuse, and revamps of pitching process. Details: The Hollywood Reporter.
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Watch for my new book "Hollywood on Strike!," due out next month. Subscribe to my blog (jhandel.com) for more about entertainment law...
Posted December 15, 2010 | 12/15/10
About 3/4 of eligible writers voted in an unusual procedure supervised by LA City Council president Eric Garcetti, meant to draw attention to labor issue. Details: The Hollywood Reporter.
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Watch for my new book "Hollywood on Strike!," due out next month. Subscribe to my blog (jhandel.com)...
Posted December 12, 2010 | 12/12/10
Two employees were discharged, one for possible embezzlement of $200,000-$250,000 and the other for violation of policies. An outside probe is ongoing. Details: The Hollywood Reporter.
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Watch for my new book "Hollywood on Strike!," due out next month. Subscribe to my blog (jhandel.com) for more about...
Posted December 10, 2011 | 12/10/11