WGA takes a strike at News Corp.
We are the people who write your favorite TV show and movies, reads the opening declaration on the hot pink flier being handed out today at the [WGA E] strike rally outside the News Corporation building in midtown. Were anxious to get back to work. But first we need to be heard. As the first week of the Writers Guild strike winds to a close, the novelty for the public of watching the backbone of the entertainment industry openly confront its problems has started to give way to the stressful long-term reality of the situation. When the gawking at celebrity guild members gives way to the realization that an actual protest is taking place, these rallies might start having their intended impact. The backside of the fliers urge supporters to bombard network and studio representatives with guild-supportive calls, which suggests the next stage of the protest, if these rallies are really doing what they should be doing.
There were no instantly recognizable faces this morning taking part in the protest powwow, but plenty of passing cars honked in support of the devout guild members, whose sign wielding was complimented by the gigantic inflatable pig that helped bring their message home. The biggest issue of the contract dispute, the writers demand for residuals when their work is displayed in new media like the Internet, harkens back to a frequent problem presented by new technology. The guild never received major residuals for videocassette distribution when it was brought into the equation in 1985, and many fear that the same dicking over process might take place with nascent media. A twentysomething guild member handing out fliers today lamented to me that he had just joined the union six months ago, paid his dues and sold a pilot to The CWand now hes out in the cold begging to get his future earnings. To say the least, spirits seemed somewhat muted this morning, as the small gathering circled outside the hulking domain of Rupert Murdoch and rain clouds ominously loomed above, but there was still a visible sense of perseverance. Its only going to get worse, one protestor told me. Were headed into the dead of winter, and well be here for awhile.