So the vote for the Writers Guild of America to go on strike was 90% in favor, God bless ’em. The strike will happen on Monday – picket lines in both Los Angeles and New York. I must say that I didn’t think the executives would let it go so far – I pictured an 11th hour agreement, with the studios holding out so long just to scare writers. Because it’s clearly a bluff: the writers’ demands are so commonsense and logical that it could only be due to politicking and enormous avarice that the studios are holding out. For instance, two main demands: that DVD residuals be increased from .3% to .6% (which Entertainment Weekly has improperly skewed as 3% to 6% – perhaps with ill-intentions). Also, the second main demand is that writers receive residuals for shows downloaded from the internet and for webisodes. I can’t even conceive of a possible objection to the second demand: If a writer creates a show, then the medium of delivery – whether television or the internet – is immaterial. They should get residuals for whatever way it is broadcast.
So, I still have to bet that the studios will end up capitulating without a long delay. They have absolutely no ethical grounds for denying writers their residuals. It’s just a game of leverage – of starting the strike in order to scare writers enough so the studios can develop a bargain slightly more in their favor and continue their kleptocracy.
But if they don’t resolve the strike soon, the studios will obviously be doing fine and dandy with experienced, credentialed writers like this one who posted an open advertisment on Craig’s List offering his 3.1 GPA and fresh-from-college skills.
