The arrogance of the negotiating teams for the WGA and AMPTP is astounding. As I sit, almost all of my friends in the business of Television and Film Production have lost their jobs. A select few have found jobs on features that will carry them through the holidays, and perhaps the toughest part of the strike. The ripple effect is being felt throughout the community. My next door neighbor has seen a decline in business at his work place. There have been lay offs at restaurants around the studio sites due to no lunch and dinner crowds. Crew folk like myself are not shopping for the holidays. Charitable donations have all but ceased, food banks and toy drives are empty.
All this is from the greed of a very select few people who already stand to make a very good living from their job of choice, even with the previous contract. The new one, even if it's the one the the AMPTP would like to see, will certainly show some sort of increase in the average income of the ABOVE average salaries.
It's very true that many, if not most of the writers in the WGA do not make a substantial living from their efforts. The large part of the income is garnered by a select few individuals who have had the fortune of writing successful projects. But I must stress an earlier point...it is a job of choice. No one is holding anyone down and forcing them to be a writer. For most, it is a vocation of passion, and art. And with any luck, you can make a buck.
But now...the entire industry is being held hostage by the negotiating team of the WGA. Pull yourselves together and go back to the table. Clean slate...no demands. Negotiating is not about demands, it's about give and take. Start over from the beginning and save our jobs.
Just my opinion....
~pwp
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