Re: Y&R/ Strike to Probably Continue Indefinitely
- From: The Moose <moose53@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:07:36 -0800 (PST)
On Nov 30, 4:39 pm, wtfan...@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
This is relevant to all soaps, but especially Y&R, since the strike
needs to go on for 8 weeks before LML can be fired (today makes 4 full
weeks, and the soaps that haven't hired scabs will probably do so
within the next 2 weeks). This is a letter circulated to WGA members:
To My Fellow Members,
After four days of bargaining with the AMPTP, I am writing to let you
know that, though we are still at the table, the press blackout has
been lifted.
Our inability to communicate with our members has left a vacuum of
information that has been filled with rumors, both well intentioned
and deceptive.
Among the rumors was the assertion that the AMPTP had a groundbreaking
proposal that would make this negotiation a "done deal." In fact, for
the first three days of this week, the companies presented in essence
their November 4 package with not an iota of movement on any of the
issues that matter to writers.
Thursday morning, the first new proposal was finally presented to us.
It dealt only with streaming and made-for-Internet jurisdiction, and
it amounts to a massive rollback.
From streaming television episodes, the companies proposed a residual
structure of a single fixed payment of less than $250 for a year's
reuse of an hour-long program (compared to over $20,000 payable for a
network rerun). For theatrical product they are offering no residuals
whatsoever for streaming.
For made-for-Internet material, they offered minimums that would allow
a studio to produce up to a 15 minute episode of network-derived web
content for a script fee of $1300. They continued to refuse to grant
jurisdiction over original content for the Internet.
In their new proposal, they made absolutely no move on the download
formula (which they propose to pay at the DVD rate), and continue to
assert that they can deem any reuse "promotional," and pay no residual
(even if they replay the entire film or TV episode and even if they
make money).
The AMPTP says it will have additional proposals to make but, as of
Thursday evening, they have not been presented to us. We are scheduled
to meet with them again on Tuesday.
In the meantime, I felt it was essential to update you accurately on
where negotiations stood. On Wednesday we presented a comprehensive
economic justification for our proposals. Our entire package would
cost this industry $151 million over three years. That's a little over
a 3% increase in writer earnings each year, while company revenues are
projected to grow at a rate of 10%. We are falling behind.
For Sony, this entire deal would cost $1.68 million per year. For
Disney $6.25 million. Paramount and CBS would each pay about $4.66
million, Warner about $11.2 million, Fox $6.04 million, and NBC/
Universal $7.44 million. MGM would pay $320,000 and the entire
universe of remaining companies would assume the remainder of about
$8.3 million per year. As we've stated repeatedly, our proposals are
more than reasonable and the companies have no excuse for denying it.
The AMPTP's intractability is dispiriting news but it must also be
motivating. Any movement on the part of these multinational
conglomerates has been the result of the collective action of our
membership, with the support of SAG, other unions, supportive
politicians, and the general public. We must fight on, returning to
the lines on Monday in force to make it clear that we will not back
down, that we will not accept a bad deal, and that we are all in this
together.
Best,
Patric M. Verrone
President, WGAW
Well, to be perfectly frank -- who really cares?? People who strike
figure they're having a much harder time than everyone else in this
country.
Try paying for obscenely higher gas prices which go into food
purchases and see how far your Social Security check goes.
Our "cost of living" increases don't cover the cost of living.
All of the money is being syphoned out of every single business in
this country and going into the pockets of the oil millionaires (most
of the inhabitants of our White House).
------------------
Sorry for the little deviation off the track -- but, if there's a
"professional" writer writing what's been appearing on this show for
the past few weeks, he/she OUGHT to be fired. Basically, the entire
show has been halted because one woman got pregnant.
Slamber throws on a wig and the guy that was screwing her every day
doesn't even recognize her. Give me a break. This is professional
writing?? Don't think so.
Two months hovering around a woman's bed who's in a coma for no
reason. We already know she had the baby in real life. Why the heck
don't they just send her to a specialist or to a nursing home or to
another country to get better treatment until her maternity leave is
over unstead of halting the entire show and hanging around the
hospital for 5 days a week. Why all the daily hang-by-the-bed and
remember things that never happened?? I'm ready to kick my DVR to the
curb.
------------------
Don't expect me to feel sorry for union workers that strike and
disrupt everybody's lives because they think they aren't being treated
FAIRLY. Give me a break.
Barb
.
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