The Strike Goes On

There is no end in sight.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike continues, and negotiations between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have not resumed since the strike began. One of the biggest topics of contention for both sides of the argument was residuals from internet revenue. It is not known at this point how long the strike will last, or what kind of long-term effects it could have on the industry. Some feel that the strike could be devastating over time, especially to middle-rank writers and businesses that serve production facilities, not to mention the entertainment industry itself as a whole. The strike in 1988 lasted 22 weeks and cost the industry an estimated $500 million. This time around, a long-term strike could cost the industry closer to a billion dollars.

The late-night shows were the first to be effected. Jay Leno, David Letterman and other late-night hosts showed their support for the writers by shutting down production immediately. They could resume production within a few weeks, but the set-up of the shows would be different. Without writers, there would obviously be no monologues or sketches, and the shows would contain more guest interviews. Primetime television will be affected more slowly than late-night because they have scripts finished and ready to be produced. The three shows in the CSI franchise are expected to finish through episode 13. Other shows will not get so far. Sitcoms, for example, require constant rewrites, so there was little the networks could do to get episodes finished. CBS sitcoms such as The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men have had their production suspended indefinitely.

There has been some conflict over the work of showrunners during the strike. Showrunners are both writers and executive producers, so while they are on strike and refusing to write new episodes, as producers they are still obligated to work on the show. Some showrunners are refusing to cross picket lines and perform any of their tasks until negotiations have recommenced with the AMPTP. A group of showrunners held a rally in front of Walt Disney Studios to show unity among the most highly-paid members of the guild. The rally was meant to encourage other showrunners to refuse to fulfill their jobs as producers until the strike had been resolved. Among the writers present at the rally was CSI: Crime Scene Investigation showrunner Carol Mendelsohn.

There has been a lot of support for those on the picket line. The fans at Your Tax Dollars At Work (YTDAW) sent a lunch delivery to the writers of the CSI franchise as they walked the line. David Rambo expressed his thanks and explained that the generosity of fans, production offices, agents and other people has kept them well cared-for. For that reason, he made a special request of the fans that would like to make contributions. "What we'd really like most, if you do want to continue to show support for our strike," he wrote in an e-mail to YTDAW, "would be for the fans to make additional donations to CASA [The National Court Appointed Special Advocates] in honor of the striking writers. That way, our strike is helping others in far less fortunate circumstances in addition to protecting our writers' rights."

Rambo shared a link to this video to explain the strike situation. The original news articles from this story come from CBS2.com, The StarPhoenix, and two articles from Variety.

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