Writers Strike and the Myth of the Free Market
January 16, 2008 by Anne Wayman
Filed under Jobs
Much of the magic of the United States has been a more-or-less democracy that allowed and even encouraged the growth of a solid middle class. But that middle class didn’t happen automatically. Even though the frame work for economic justice can be found in the U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights, it took people who organized to push back against the power of corporations to get things we don’t even think about today like:
- A (mostly) 40 hour work week (with paid overtime).
- Laws against child labor.
- Workplace safety, including everything from mines to offices
- Laws against sexual discrimination.
- Etc. etc. etc… the list truly goes on and on
In each case, the corporations claimed, rightly so, that to put such fairness items into law would reduce their profits. Some, mostly neo-cons or newer conservatives and Libertarians will tell you it’s totally okay for corporations to be allowed, even encouraged to maximum progress because something called the “free market” will (eventually) sort it out.
But there really isn’t a free market.
Look at what the writers are asking for – a reasonable share profits when their work is used on the internet.
No free market with the internet, not really. We wouldn’t have one without government; we wouldn’t have the electricity to run our computers with out the government, and you know what? Neither would the corporations. Which means the internet, and electricity are part of what used to be known as the commons. Dictionary.com defines the commons as: pertaining or belonging equally to an entire community, nation, or culture; public: a common language or history; a common water-supply system.
Markets depend on the commons and can’t exist without them. The commons are supported by our tax dollars. In other words, no free market… it costs us all.
So now we’ve got writers demanding a portion of the profits on their work… it should be automatic, but corporations and governments never give away what they don’t have to… hence unions which allow individuals to gather together in a cause.
Do you agree? Why or why not?
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Thank you for an excellent article. The writer’s strike is about more than just Internet Rights, but that is certainly the most interesting piece of the puzzle, especially to bloggers. The television and film industries are on the cusp of a tremendous change that we are just seeing the beginnings of. The Internet is just going to get faster and the ease of distributing content will make these issues far more important in the coming years. The writers have to make a stand. Believe me, the corporations are fighting them on this for a reason. Electronic distribution of content will be the standard within ten years, and the corproations want to hold on to every piece of that pie that they can.
Thanks John… I’m wondering how to support those writers more because I suspect the outcome of this strike will have an impact on my online income… any ideas?
I have been and still am a staunch supporter of unions. The sorrow of this (WGA-AMPTP) is the huge amount of IATSE union members who are loosing their income, savings, and is putting their entire familys in jepardy. They, unlike writers, who have a larger chance of recouping their lost wages, have left some other innocent industry entertainment union members in total peril.
Strikes are supposed to help all of those working in that related industry. Certainly, it would not appear to be in this case. That “Ivory “Tower” seems to be getting higher and loftier
Dodie,
The collateral damage from this strike has been substantial and that is very unfortunate. The IATSE members are being hurt, as are the writers. That is one of the reasons why the Writer’s want an end to the clause in their contracts that forbids them from honoring other people’s strikes. The WGA definitely wants to be fair to other unions, it is one of their bones of contention with the AMPTP.
Without really knowing, my hunch is all long strikes have produced similar “collateral” damage – but why blame the strikers? Why not point fingers at the corporations who aren’t paying fairly? Or even the government which has trashed anti-trust laws and fights unions all the time?