WGA leaders voted unanimously Sunday to endorse the proposed deal with studios, effectively ending the three month writers' strike that has crippled the television industry. While they do feel that the deal falls short, it still makes key gains in dealing with the new media; remember that it was this area of downloads and internet streaming that was one of the most important issues to the guild.While the strike is ended per union leaders, writers won't return to work until the membership itself has had a chance to vote on the new deal. They are expected to vote "yes" on Tuesday and be back to work by Wednesday. The timing of this resolution means that some of this season can yet be salvaged and there's still time for pilot production for new series next year. For details on how this will affect your favorite shows, Keep up to date with Mike Ausiello's nearly comprehensive list of when your shows will return. And now things can get back to normal, and we can all go back to needlessly hating on According to Jim, the way God intended.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-11-2008 @ 9:26AM
Chuck said...
great news about Women's Murder Club..
The expected news on Journey Man still sucks.
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2-11-2008 @ 9:34AM
dna said...
Give us news on the AD film! Woo!
Most interested in what happens to 24 (maybe a late-season start?) and also Heroes and House. But hopefully good news all round!
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2-11-2008 @ 9:41AM
Scott said...
Finally. Although it sounds like the writers settled for a less-than-optimal deal, getting a mere fraction of their broadcast residuals for online showings, and then only after many weeks. As long as the industry exists as is and hasn't gone all-Internet, networks may decide to show programs online only during that "free" window when they owe writers no payments at all.
But it'll be good to have some of the season back, and writers back on "THE Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report". Too bad we have to wait for fall for "Chuck" and "Pushing Daisies", although better to have them back then, than never, like "Journeyman".
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2-11-2008 @ 10:02AM
Dave said...
I don't understand why any company puts up with the strongarm tactics of unions anymore... they had their time, they served their purpose... long ago.
Why do ANY of these writers still have jobs? Imagine if they had to cut it in the real world where they had to actually perform for their employment... if I just stopped showing up for work (or if most of us did for that matter), we would be fired almost immediately. These folks should be looking for jobs at McDonalds - I bet there are tons of fledgling writers that would LOVE to come to work for the studios.
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2-11-2008 @ 10:14AM
Bash said...
Maybe because without unions it wouldn't be a world where 15% of the people own 90% of the money but more like Argentina or Brazil where 3% of the people own 95% of the land and 98% of the money.
Power to the people. You can't export creativity and have it produced in China. Period.
2-11-2008 @ 10:34AM
Argus said...
And even then, Argentina only doesn't suck because after the non-unionized workers have been screwed out of jobs they formed "collectives" (basically unions) that seized the factories that they worked at and which were then shut down.
Unions provide extremely valuable services. If it wasn't for health care unions, alot of you would probably be dead as its the power of the unions which got the insane hours these people had to work reduced. Please Dave, do some research before you spout off anti-union stuff. While I can see someone saying "unions are too powerful" or "unions shouldn't be in place in this particular instance" to carte blanche call them all past due is simply naive.
As for why companies put up with their allegedly "strong arm" tactics... Its the law.
2-11-2008 @ 11:00AM
LC said...
Those fledgling writers would be paid peanuts without a union. The second they asked for a raise or residuals the studios would hire the next "fledgling writer.
The studios negotiate with the writers because they need them. They don't want crap writers they want talented ones. The writers know they have a talent that the studios need and protect their best interest by unionizing to protect themselves.
Saying that they served their purpose is a little short sighted. Take them away and the old problems will emerge sooner rather than later.
2-11-2008 @ 6:37PM
Mandy said...
"Imagine if they had to cut it in the real world where they had to actually perform for their employment... "
If they were writing in the real world, they would be called "authors" and they would own the copyright to all their work. Then when a studio wanted to do something with it, they would have to negotiate with each individual writer every single time.
2-11-2008 @ 10:36AM
Argus said...
And on the note of the topic, why are there going to be no new Chuck eps? Did the commercial not say "new episodes soon"? I assumed that to mean they had plans for more scripts after the strike.
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2-11-2008 @ 11:24AM
Scott said...
I'm guessing it's because "Chuck" is a difficult show to produce, with all the stunts and effects, and that gives it a longer restart time than the others. I just hope people are still interested in the 1st-year shows that skip this mini-season and don't appear again until September. That's a much longer gap than the one that nearly killed "Jericho".
2-11-2008 @ 11:39AM
lucyfan62 said...
All of these premature press reports claiming the strike is over only because the heads of the WGA union said it was (and they're just urging members to accept the deal) may not be helping the cause since the actual members have yet to vote! I'm sure they will vote so they can get back to work but for the past three days everywhere you read it says the strike is over. IT'S NOT...YET! All of these articles are going to make the members feel even more like they're being pressured to approve something that they're still not quite happy with and they just may end up rejecting it. So let's stop with all of these "IT'S OVER!" articles and wait until the votes are counted. Geez, it's like network news covering an election and declaring a winner 30 seconds after the polls have closed on the east coast which causes people on the west coast to either vote for the projected winner or not vote at all! Stop it!
As for returning shows, what's been said is that only the big ratings winners will go back into production - Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, etc. - and some sitcoms. Shows like Chuck and Pushing Daisies (the ones that have already gotten full season pick-ups) will most likely not return with new episodes until the fall. There are still a lot of shows that made it through their original runs solely because of the strike and their fates have yet to be determined (although shows like Bionic Woman and, unfortunately, Journey Man will most likely not be back). 24 only had 8 episodes in the can, so that will most likely not return to the air until next January. No word yet on what will happen with the second half of LOST's 16 episode 4th season (8 were filmed).
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2-11-2008 @ 2:36PM
Brent McKee said...
The procedure is apparently that the Guild members will vote on Tuesday on ending the strike (writers would return to work on Wednesday if the vote is favourable), and will have ten days to vote on accepting the deal. Based on reports of Saturday's informational meetings in New York and Hollywood, the deal will be accepted.
2-11-2008 @ 12:57PM
VP said...
Didn't fox can more than 10 episodes of 24 already? Why can't they start airing those in march and have episodes shooting in the meantime? I watch two shows: Life & 24 and both have no life until fall at the latest.
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