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Writers May Have Pact. Huckabee Crosses Picket Line—Again |
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Television and movie writers who have been on strike since Nov. 5 will meet tomorrow in New York City and Los Angeles to discuss a potential tentative agreement that could end the strike. The Writers Guild of America members have been fighting to win a fair share of revenue for their work distributed online, through DVDs and other new media.
Also on the strike front, Republican presidential candidate and former Gov. Mike Huckabee (Ark.) crossed another picket line (See below.).
Officials of the Writers Guild of America, East ( WGAE), Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have been meeting informally since Jan. 24, the first meetings between the two sides since the producers walked out of negotiations in December.
In a letter to their members posted on both unions’ websites today, WGAE President Michael Winship and WGAW President Patric Verrone say:
We are continuing to negotiate the terms of a tentative agreement with the AMPTP. We anticipate that we will be able to present the terms of that agreement to you in the next few days. In order to have a full discussion with you of the terms and how they were reached, and in order to get your input before making recommendations or decisions, we have scheduled membership meetings for current-active members only for this Sat., February 9, in New York and Los Angeles.
We urge you to attend. We have gotten to this point in our negotiation as the direct result of the power of this strike, which each of you has generated. Neither the Negotiating Committee, nor the East Council or the West Board, will take action on any contract until after the membership meetings are held and your voices have been heard. We are all in this together.
This afternoon, several hundred writers rallied and marched at the Time Warner Center in New York City. Both sides have agreed to a news blackout so details of the possible tentative agreement are not available.
Meanwhile, Writers Guild members met Huckabee with angry resistance last night as he crossed a picket line to be a guest on “The Colbert Report.” This is how the WGAE website describes the episode:
As his black SUV arrived outside the set, 20 or so picketers swarmed in close, shouting things such as “Don’t cross Governor!” and “This is a struck show!”
As Mr. Huckabee’s security team led him toward the guest entrance WGA members persisted in their attempt to persuade him not to cross, shouting and holding up signs that read “Huckabee Don’t Cross (Again)” & “Huckabee Supports Scabs.” This strong union action was captured on film by reporters from CNN and NBC, who were there on the scene to record his appearance.
Mr. Huckabee gained notoriety by being the first guest for Jay Leno the night the TV host returned to work without his writers on January 3rd.
On Jan. 30, Republican front-runner Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) crossed a writers’ picket line to appear on the Leno show.
1 Comment
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Hard to believe that a self-professed, ordained man of God would cross a picket line, isn’t it? Human misery is human misery—he would be ashamed of himself if he knew what he was doing. I don’t think he’s smart enough to figure out that it’s hurtful to workers and their families, otherwise he’d have stayed away.
We already have a not-so-bright president who has caused plenty of suffering for working families—we don’t need more of the same.