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A Bittersweet Writers’ Strike
By Heather Wordham, California
It wasn't that long ago that I was teaching SAT prep classes, selling things on Craig's List and house-sitting for anybody who had a dog and a spare bedroom in order to support my writer dreams. So recent, in fact, that it was easy to fall back on some of these jobs during the three-month long Writers' strike.
It's hard for me to claim that I'm new at this business but this is the first strike I've ever been involved with. And as an introverted nerd, as I think many writers are, the idea of walking around with a red shirt and a stick with a sign horrified me. I knew that I would support the strike and I knew that I would never cross a picket line, but I did not think that I would ever stand on a street in Studio City and try to get strangers to honk for my cause. But I did. I got out there. Everyday.
I was deeply heartened by the people I met on the strike line - writers who had been in three Writers Guild Strikes in the 80s - writers who created and wrote shows I loved as a kid - writers who were at the end of their own careers but were picketing for mine and other writers' futures.
It's been over a week since the strike ended. The Writers Guild is still holding meetings - but rather than being packed with thousands of motivated, outraged writers, these meetings are attended by a small handful of people - the militant and people like me, who like free snacks and want to ask questions about our new deal before we actually ratify it.
A lot of the details of the deal are difficult to understand. But the major goals of the strike were met. We got our foot in the new-media door and that was by far the most important conquest. Writers will now be protected under WGA terms and minimums for content used on the Internet in the same way they have been protected for content made for TV. Archived shows viewed on the Internet dating back as far as 1977 will pay writers of those shows 2 % of what the studios make.
While other details can be overwhelming, the WGA contends these are crucial advances that will allow writers to lead the way as new media is developed. Still, our victory feels bittersweet.
Having only been a WGA member since 2001, I was not part of the many writers' strikes of the 80s but I've heard a great deal about them. I know that the Guild has a history of giving things up - things that then become impossible to get back.
The most infamous was the 4cents deal on VHS. At the time selling or renting a movie on VHS was a new concept, and the industry was concerned that this concept wouldn't take off, and that they wouldn't make money. The Guild agreed to a paltry four cents per sale deal until everyone knew where this new market would go.
Those VHS tapes became DVDs and we now all know that DVDs became a huge success - so much so that the studios often make the bulk of their movie revenue off the sales of the DVD and not the theatrical release. And still the writers make four cents per DVD sale. Even the people who package DVDs make more money per DVD than the authors of the content.
An increase in this terrible conciliatory four cent deal from the 80s was part of what we were fighting for during this current strike and part of what we gave up in order to get that little toehold in new media. And that's not all we gave up. We also gave up the chance to make writers of animation and reality part of our guild. And we gave up between 17-24 days of free viewing on the Internet. Keep in mind we don't have a history of getting back the things we give away. The toehold was costly. That's the bitter part of the bittersweet.
Although the Writers Guild of America has roughly 7,500 active members, there were many times when I felt powerless and discouraged going up against the Goliaths that are our bosses: General Electric, Time Warner, Disney, Fox, etc. But when our contract was up in October, the deal these companies offered us amounted to a $170 million rollback in residuals. You have no choice but to fight back.
I asked some of my friends if their bosses told them that they were going to cut their salaries by a third would they be okay with that or would they fight that decision. There's really only one answer. So getting out on the picket line was a way I could feel like I was saying no to a grossly unfair deal.
"Although the Writers Guild of America has roughly 7,500 active members, there were many times when I felt powerless and discouraged going up against the Goliaths that are our bosses: General Electric, Time Warner, Disney, Fox, etc. But when our contract was up in October, the deal these companies offered us amounted to a $170 million rollback in residuals. You have no choice but to fight back.quot; -Heather Wordham
I felt good about wearing my red strike shirt and being part of a union that would not let its members be taken advantage of. I also got discounts from many local restaurants, hairdressers, coffee shops and other vendors who generously and publicly supported the writers' strike.
And although I don't think the deal is spectacular and I do think we paid a high price for our new media toehold, I also know that what we got, we got because I was out there with some wonderful, amazing writers everyday and together, helping the Guild say no to that grossly unfair deal. Whatever we won in this strike I helped win and I met some amazing people along the way. And that's the sweet of bittersweet.
And here's the future part. After a 100-day strike that started with coffee being delivered to the picket lines by the gracious actors from "Brothers & Sisters" and tacos compliments of Jimmy Kimmel, and ended with a meeting at the Shrine Auditorium in which the WGA's negotiating committee received several standing ovations, we still have a long way to go. Watching your TV via your Internet is not the future it's the right now. In fact Apple TV is available for purchase at this very moment.
The Screen Actors Guild contract is up in June. For certain our contract will be a template for the deal the companies make with SAG, but the word is SAG wishes we had done better, which makes me believe they believe they can do better. So another Hollywood strike may be imminent. It's a good thing I got over my reluctance to wear a red shirt and be outspoken on a picket line because I see more of it coming in the not too distant future.
