School Kids of the World Unite—for Striking Writers

by James Parks, Nov 29, 2007

It’s tough to stand in solidarity with striking workers when you’re a school kid. But rebel girl Danae, in the syndicated comic strip “Non Sequitur,” made a good try today when she came out in support of the strike by television writers.   

Wiley Miller’s cartoon includes this exchange between Danae and her elementary school teacher:

Why didn’t you do the essay homework assignment, Danae?            

I’m taking an ethical stand ma’am.

Um…an ethical stand on what?

The writers’ strike! I feel that writing an essay now is the same as crossing a picket line.  

[Danae now sits outside the vice principal’s office] The AFL-CIO is going to have a field day with this lady!!!

Danae joins many others around the world in backing the writers’ efforts to secure fair pay for their work when it’s distributed on the Internet and via other new media. Members of the Writers Guild have been on strike since Nov. 5 and contract talks with TV and movie producers have resumed.

On the East Coast, there was good news today for the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE). The union and ABC reached a tentative agreement on a new contract for ABC news employees who have been working under an expired contract since Jan. 31, 2005. The agreement covers 250 news writers, editors, desk assistants, production assistants, graphic artists and researchers in New York and Washington, D.C.

And just yesterday, the Democratic National Committee canceled a planned Dec. 10 presidential candidates debate on CBS because of a possible strike by CBS News writers.

On Monday, we reported that the leading Democratic candidates vowed to not cross any picket lines if the writers, members of the WGAE, strike the network. They have been without a contract since April 2005 and contract talks have stalled. The writers have authorized a strike. 

Yesterday, around the world, members of the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds staged an International Day of Solidarity and demonstrated in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada, Great Britain, Mexico and France in support of the strikers. The marchers say the issues in the strike affect all TV and entertainment writers. 

Canadian writer, actor and director Jacob Tierney told the Toronto Globe and Mail:  

This is a fight that needs to be had. What we’re saying today is that this is everybody’s fight. This is going to keep happening, to all the guilds, the writers, the directors, the actors, in both Canada and the U.S. We need to find a bar that’s both reasonable and fair. 

On Tuesday, nearly 1,000 people joined a star-studded solidarity rally in New York City’s Washington Square Park, where a host of celebrities and presidential candidate John Edwards spoke out in support of the scribes (see video).  

Edwards, who along with the other Democratic presidential candidates, has agreed to not cross the picket lines, told the crowd: 

This is all about fairness. It’s about opportunity. It’s about making sure those who create the work that generates revenue actually gets to share in that revenue. That’s what this cause is about.  

Actor Tim Robbins criticized the trade press’s coverage of the strike, and the notion that the strikers are Hollywood millionaires. 

This is not a strike of millionaire writers. This is a strike of middle-class writers, middle-class writers trying to remain middle class. 

This is an appeal for fairness and decency. The Writers Guild is not asking for anything outrageous, just their fair share of the new income generated in the new media in the 21st century. We are not marching up to Mulholland Drive with torches in our hand. You titans can keep your uber mansions, just help your writers pay their rent.

Actor Danny Glover said the studios are greedy and the best response is to “fight that greed.” 

One celebrity who was not at the rally is Carson Daly. The late-night TV host, who is not a member of the Writers Guild, announced he plans to cross the picket line and return to work. The WGAE  said it was profoundly disappointed in Daly’s decision. In a statement, the union says:  

Although he is not a member of the WGA, until now, Mr. Daly has followed the lead of his late night hosts and colleagues who are Writers Guild members—Stephen Colbert, Spike Feresten, Craig Ferguson, Jimmy Kimmel, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien and Jon Stewart. They have taken a forthright and principled position in solidarity with their writing staffs, which we applaud. We thank them and hope that Mr. Daly will reconsider his decision, including the soliciting of scab writers to provide material for his program.

Along with Robbins and Glover, the long list of celebrities and actors at the Washington Square demonstration included “The Sopranos’ “ Edie Falco, David Proval, David Chase and Joe Pantoliano; Aasif Mandvi and Tony Goldwyn of “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”; Kristen Davis of “Sex and the City”; former national Screen Actors (SAG) President Richard Masur; John Slattery and Michael Gladis of “Mad Men”; Evan Handler of “Californication”; Anthony Edwards; Eric Bogosian; Gilbert Gottfried; Julianna Margulies and “Damages’” Michael Nouri. 

Other speakers at the rally included Reps. Anthony Weiner and Jerrold Nadler, both New York Democrats; Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer; Randi Weingarten, president of the United Federation of Teachers/AFT; Ed Ott, executive director of the New York City Central Labor Council; Denis Hughes, president of the New York State AFL-CIO; and Sam Freed, president of SAG in New York.  

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