Writers Strong, Producers Cracking?

by Mike Hall, Jan 9, 2008

Union solidarity remains high for striking movie and television writers with the Screen Actors (SAG), the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) and other unions standing strong with the Writers Guild of America. But it looks like producer solidarity may be cracking.

United Artists (UA) is the first major movie studio to sign an independent agreement with the Writers Guild of America, the union announced yesterday. The pact with United Artists follows an agreement the writers signed last month with David Letterman’s Worldwide Pants production company, allowing Letterman’s “Late Show” and Craig Ferguson’s “The Late Late Show” to go back on the air with its writing staff and no picket line for guests to cross.

The writers have been on strike against movie and television production companies since Nov. 5, fighting for a new contract that includes a fair share of revenues from Internet and electronic distribution of material they’ve written.

In a joint letter from Michael Winship, president of the Writers Guild of America, East (WAGE), and Patric M. Verrone, president of the Writers Guild of America, West (WAGW), the union leaders say they hope the agreement with United Artists will spur other production companies to do the same. The industry group, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), stalked out of contract talks last month.

This agreement is virtually identical to the agreement signed by David Letterman’s Worldwide Pants. It features all the proposals we were preparing to make when the big media conglomerates left the bargaining table a month ago. Those proposals include appropriate minimums and residuals for new media (whether streamed or downloaded, as well as original made-for content), along with basic cable and pay-TV increases, feature animation and reality TV coverage, union solidarity language, and important enforcement, auditing, and arbitration considerations.

We expect this deal to encourage other companies, especially large employers, to seek and reach agreements with us.

The United Artists agreement does not include Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM), its parent company. The New York Times reports that MGM frantically pressured UA to back out of the deal because

the company does not want to be seen as a weak link among the large producers battling the union.

While Letterman owns his own production company, the other late night talks shows that are back on the air are controlled by the networks that are part of the AMPTP. Those shows are having trouble drawing notable guests who are refusing to cross picket lines. So who are they settling for?

Right-wing author David Frum spouted nonsense on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and Cornell University labor relations professor Ron Seeber also appeared on the Stewart show. Seeber ignored requests from union leaders on campus and around New York state that he not cross the picket line. (Click here to read what Jonathan Tasini has to say on The Huffington Post about Seeber and other folks who cross picket lines). Don’t forget that Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee crossed a picket line to appear on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” the first day it was back on the air.

That’ll keep you laughing and awake, eh?

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