It looks like the studios and the writers have agreed to contract terms. It will be presented to the union leaders in a few days and may lead to the end of the WGA strike which has been going on since November 5th, 2007. TV Squad has recently written that the strike may end soon.According to the article, television producers have made February 15th the de facto deadline for putting the writers back and salvaging what's left of this television season. For movie studios, the deadline is seen as early March to prevent major disruption with the 2009 movie release schedule.
With that information, it's not hard to figure out why the timing of this negotiation is what it is. All the writers had to do was to wait until the bottom line of the industry started being affected and the producers caved like a house of cards (unless this compromise is some sort of ingenious plot by the AMPTP. Perhaps under the guise of negotiations they're going to trap the WGA union leaders in a room where the walls will start closing in and spikes will suddenly protrude from them).
If the talks are successful, then the strike would have ended earlier than I anticipated. I figured it would go on until late spring or summer. I presume the writers will be getting the new media percentages they're asking for, although it cost them getting membership from reality TV and animation. I wonder what other compromises were made on either side.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-05-2008 @ 11:02AM
Christopher said...
I so hope this is the end and all the strike baby shows can stop coming on.
Reply
2-05-2008 @ 11:54AM
Oreo said...
So the writers seem have have wasted 4 months and then backed down and took a bad deal. Next time they go on strike I'll make sure not to support them.
Reply
2-05-2008 @ 12:15PM
Alicia said...
It's called a compromise... how do you know it is a "bad deal"? Have you seen it? Are you a writer?
2-05-2008 @ 12:57PM
RSL said...
No. Just a know it all. ;) Easy to fault-find when all you are is a viewer and it's not yr livelihood at stake.
2-05-2008 @ 2:55PM
dt3 said...
oreo loves the strike.
oreo wants to marry the strike.
oreo is sitting in a tree as we speak making out with the strike.
The only thing that would make oreo happy about the strike ending is if it could lead to a future super-roboto apocalypse strike that would bring all original tv to a halt.
If the writers accepted a deal where they didnt get a reasonable increase in new markets word would break on that right away. If they did have to concede the reality and animation writers why is that a bad thing? How is any situation where the writers new money and the season possibly gets saved a bad thing?
2-05-2008 @ 4:57PM
Joey Geraci said...
I am sure your lack of support will really concern them.