WGA Writers Strike – Issues Explained
January 17, 2008 by Anne Wayman
Filed under Jobs
Yesterday I wrote a post called: Writers Strike and the Myth of the Free Market
John Hewitt who runs the excellent and comprehensive Writer’s Resource Center responded with my question about how we could support the strike with an excellent article of his own, called: Three Reasons to Support the WGA Strike and Three Ways You Can Do It
He points out some things there I didn’t know, like how the copyrights for screenwriters differ from those of us who blog or write for print, and how small the number of employers for movie scripts has actually become – it’s down to six. And I suspect that number is roughly the same as the owners of our news media, which is why we no longer get news, but infotainment. All this, of course, comes from trashing of the Sherman Antitrust Act and deregulation of so much, all in the name of the free market.
Sigh. Take a look at John’s article and in a few minutes you’ll come away with a deeper understanding of the issues.
Thanks, John,
Write well and often,
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Hi Anne,
Just to be clear, there are more studios than the ones controlled by the big six, but the remainder pale in comparison to the size and clout that the big corporations have.
While there are some accurate statements in this article, there are an equal number of inaccurate/misleading statements. It was obviously written by a naive person who doesn’t have a full understanding of the issues on either side of the discussion.
oh sure, just like there are more media outlets… etc. but the big three still have way more influence than they should, or is it the big 5 now…
Hi Liz,
Vague criticisms written by a person who fails to identify themselves beyond a single generic first name rarely carry much weight with me, but I do respect your right to disagree.
John –
Carrying weight with you was my main concern.
Best of luck with all future projects.
That’s as it should be Liz.
Liz, if you want to do a guest blog for me on this email me.
I read the post and it’s the same whiny story I hear all the time. People go into a profession pretty much knowing what to expect in terms of compensation, and then cry foul when things aren’t going in their favor. That’s the way it is when you’re working in a creative capacity for a corporation. If I choose to go work at Marvel Comics, and I end up creating a character that ends up earning to company millions of dollars, guess what? I’m only getting compensated as per the original agreement, and I certainly wouldn’t expect Marvel to le me retain the rights to the character.
I know that going in so it doesn’t do me any good to strike – which is the adult version of the childish tactic of holding my breath until I turn blue – to get what I want.
And seriously, you want us to join the writers on the picket lines? Sorry, most of us have lives to run and picketing does no good. It’s passive. You want changes in your life? Take action. Don’t stand around with a sign, that doesn’t do a thing.
Go work for someone else. Start your own company. If you’re sick of playing by someone else’s rules, go off on your own and make your own, but for God’s sake, don’t stand around with a sign and whine about how unfair life is.
Sorry, I noticed a few typos after I hit submit. I’ll fix them and post on my blog. My apologies.
Hi Mike,
You are certainly right about one thing. Working for Marvel stinks. Those guys really ought tu unionize. Great idea Mike.
And yes, I had a typo too. I hate that.
Mike, why do you see strikes as a childish tactic? Why shouldn’t employees work together for fairness?
Should the only answer be freelancing? Much as I love it, I don’t think that’s an answer for everyone and every situation…
Somewhere along the line, the distinction between owner and employee seems to have gotten muddled. Ownership requires investment of capital and the assumption of inherent risks and responsibilities, with the hope of a subsequent reward. Employees sell their goods and services, for a fee, to the highest bidder. The rewards of success, or the losses of failure, accrue to those who have assumed the responsibilities of ownership. If any employee wants to have a share of the ownership rewards, perhaps they might give some consideration to taking on some of the risks. But, then again, this is the “Age of Entitlements”