From the LA Times:
More than 90% of the 3,775 writers who cast ballots in Los Angeles and New York voted to immediately end the work stoppage, capping the entertainment industry's most contentious labor dispute in recent history.
"Rather than being shut out of the future of content creation and delivery, writers will lead the way as TV migrates to the Internet and platforms for new media are developed," said Patric M. Verrone, president of the WGA, West.
On Feb. 25, writers are expected to ratify a new three-year contract that ensures them a stake in the revenue generated when their movies, television shows and other creative works are distributed on the Internet. Whether the benefits from the new contract will be enough to offset the income writers and others lost because of the strike is a matter of debate. (LA Times 2/13/08)
Now, it's likely that you'll hear lots of interpretations on who won, including from some people here. I don't really feel confident to declare a winner, but the debate will continue for a while, and then there will be another fight. That's kind of the nature of this game. But the one thing that was positive? This strike proved that the strike, as a tool, was not dead. It proved that workers still have some leverage.
Other experts believe the writers won a victory that transcends any financial gains. "It was a defining moment," said economist Harley Shaiken, a professor at UC Berkeley who specializes in labor issues. "It showed that a very disparate group of individuals could act with real solidarity -- and that packed real economic power."
Now, let's get back to making some decent TV, and can we just stop filming Tila Tequila? Seriously, tv execs, enough with that crap, yo. No, I really don't care who Tila hooks up with tonight, and that's not going to change no matter how many times you show her in lewd and suggestive positions with people of various genders.
And why is Ricky Gervais on HBO? That man should be on every single tv, not pay cable. Except, maybe not in music videos. |
