Strike Watch: WGA and Supporters Rally at FOX Studios

Although I'm a writer, I don't yet have enough union credits to be a WGA member. When I sold my Hercules, the Legendary Journeys story, I became an associate member for three years, but as many people in this industry can attest, it's still a hard struggle to get your whole body into the staffing door, even when you manage to get a foot in.

And while I continue to write and hone my writing skills, so I can one day be a full-fledged WGA member, I try to work as often as possible with writers on one-hour drama shows as script coordinator or as writers/producers assistant. What better place to hone your skills than among those who do it -- who can at the very least teach by example... and sometimes more. Consequently I support the strike not only because it is the right thing to do and because I care about my fellow writers, but also because I have a vested interest in the issues.

Even so, these issues are bigger than just the writers. The same issues will be on the table for the actors come June and the directors come June. It just happens that the writers' contract comes up first, because this is about shares of the profits for those who create the product we see in whatever medium we see it -- all the creators. Still, it has been said that what the writers get, or are forced to take, will be a harbinger for what the actors and directors get, or have to take. And if the studios manage to break the writers' guild, it is a dire precedent for what might happen with the other guilds.

And while crew people do not stand to benefit from the proposals on the table (i.e., crew people don't get residuals or payments past their daily salary) and while they will share the hardships of getting laid off as well, many of them have been standing with the writers, for they know that all workers are united in one thing: if management can overrun some of them, it makes it much easier for management to run over the rest of them when their contracts come due.

And then there are all the people who don't belong to unions, like writers assistants and script coordinators, who are at the mercy of the individual studios offering them jobs (with varying salaries, hours, and benefits), who may only have the clout of the showrunner to help them... something which is getting harder and harder every year for a showrunner to do, as the studios keep getting more powerful.

I loved seeing this SAG (Screen Actors Guild) Solidarity sign at the rally at FOX studios this morning. SAG, like many unions have come out in support of the strike, their hearts are with the strikers, but 'no strike' clauses (no doubt insisted upon by these same studios in other years for this exact purpose) keeps them from striking in sympathy while they still have an active contract. The best they can do is show their support by showing up on the picket lines on THEIR OWN FREE TIME, while still showing up for work, so that their employers can't fire or sue them, as they are threatening.

Many of us are or have been in this boat and it's spirit crushing to have to cross the picket lines of your brethren to fulfill your job.

The writers struck on Monday, so they are out on the picket lines since then, and all week, every gate at every studio has seen their presence. Since then, every day we see more and more layoffs of the little people. Some writers assistants and script coordinators are still working, waiting for the ax to fall on them, many were laid off this week. Most of the production crews are still working, but they know that if this strike goes on and the scripts run out, so will their jobs. Those of us working in post, where I am right now, are still working, but for how long? If there aren't episodes being shot, there's nothing to post. And yet, no matter where our sympathies are, the legal machine of the striking guild does not cover us, so we continue to work. And it's not lost on us that we can continue to pay our bills for the moment where our brethren might not. It's grim on both sides of the gate.

So it was with great elation that I joined in on the massive rally at FOX Studios (ON MY OWN FREE TIME, in case my studio is reading) -- elation, not because of the need for writers to strike, but because of the massive numbers: over 4,000 strong. This is my first view as I approached. Avenue of the Stars was closed off so thousands of people could gather in front of FOX Plaza, the headquarters for the studio. Here people listened to Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine get the rally started with two songs and listened to the inspiring words of courage and resolution by various speakers, including Rev. Jesse Jackson and Norman Lear. There were so many people gathered in front of the podium that we were standing shoulder to shoulder.

Then we began the march down the street and around the side of the studio lot to the front gate. Pico Blvd was not closed off so we had to stay on the sidewalk. As we got closer to the front gate, I noticed there were people up on the top of the building watching us and I couldn't help but get the image of guards watching prisoners exercising in the compound. Weird feeling.

There were so many of us that we stretched down the block and around the corner. So we kept moving, in an orderly fashion crossing the street at Motor and then moving down the other side, with the idea of returning to our starting point and doing the walk again. It is when you are on the other side of the street that you could appreciate how long the line actually was.

It was when I was on the other side of the street taking this photo of the line stretching as far as the eye could see that the police announced that they would be closing off Pico Blvd from Motor (where we crossed the street right in front of the Main Gate) to Avenue of the Stars (the street we walked down) so that we could gather in the street in front of the gate, like a proper rally.

So we could all be together and show our 4,000 plus might. Have to say that there was very little police presence and they were very polite and accommodating to us. Of course, we were all well-behaved as well.

They closed off the road and told us we could have the street. And so we moved off the far sidewalk and moved up from the back and showed FOX what we were all about.

It's hard for my little camera to do the rally in front of the Main Gate justice and my purpose was not to report, but to participate and support. So I'm sure there are much better images out there for you to peruse. This will just give you a flavor of the day.

With so much of the news media slanting their reports to the producers' side, if you are unclear about what the writers are fighting for or just would like a very simple way of explaining what you know to others, I encourage you to visit this You Tube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ55Ir2jCxk

It's the best I've found. Also if you are wondering why there is so little about what's going on in the legitimate news outlets, considering how important this is to so many people and how it impacts people's lives and our economy, I urge you to visit this site I just found:

http://murderati.typepad.com/

I don't often link to other places in this blog, but this one is important. Let us all pray for a speedy resolution and one that is fair to all sides.