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You may wonder why I’ve focused my last few posts on the writers strike and why I also mentioned the current New York City stagehands strike that has brought most of Broadway to a halt. I mean, it’s just entertainment, right?
These strikes certainly don’t seem as important as the war in Iraq, the horrible cyclone in Bangladesh and others natural disasters, the political crisis in Pakistan, the mortgage crisis here in the U.S. plus the falling dollar and the impact of both on world markets, global warming, drought, hunger, disease, etc.
I care deeply about all of that, of course, but these strikes deal with something I also care deeply about. People standing up for what they deserve – in an environment where they have very little power on a daily basis – and I support that, whether I agree with each bargaining point or not.
Since President Reagan faced down the air-traffic controllers in 1981, unions here have gone through some rough times for sure. Many have been weakened. Add to that the decrease in factory and manufacturing jobs of all kinds and the powerful anti-union maneuverings of mega-corporations like Wal-Mart, and unions as a whole are not as strong as they once were.
And, while I admit some of their hard-fought-for rules can be quite impractical from the employer’s side and definitely need revisiting at times, we should never take our unions for granted. Especially in a time of spiraling health care costs, where too many people are left without any insurance coverage or protection of other basic needs. So much of what we have today comes to us because of unions and the courageous people who weren’t afraid to stand up and fight for their rights and the rights of others.
And so I am posting in honor of all of them.
We should never forget how lucky we are to be able to even form unions, and that we once had conditions here in the United States similar to what we gasp at in other countries today. And we should never forget that so much we take for granted in the workplace is there because of people who came before us and stood up for what we all deserve.
Ronnie Ann:
I did not wonder why you posted against it. I never understood how “creators” were a the bottom of the pile and applaud the support they receive. I also do not see how their issue is divided from what goes on in the world, the economic recession we are now in, but that has not yet been labled,the wars, the conflicts, the need for fake soda machines. None of it is divided, it begins in the root of us vs. them, otherwise, there would be no division.
Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for saying that. I was thinking those very thoughts. About how it is connected at the root. Most appropriate that you made this a team effort! (-;
Speaking of how connected things are…I am just listening to a report about how our burgeoning war-fueled, raise-no-taxes deficits with no end in sight will impact everyone here in one way or another. None of this is apparent on the surface, but the connections in how we value people and shape our policies to address individual as well as group needs are there – and sadly the impact will be most felt by those least able to bear the effects.
This strike doesn’t affect just the writers. It affects the makeup artists, stage hands, costume designers, financiers, investers, marketers and even those guys that hang the vinyl signs on the billboards… the economic impact is not limited to the WGA. It merits a close look.
Absolutely, MaryAn! The caterers. The ancillary services. The folks all those people employ. The ripple effects are huge. All the more reason, rather than blaming the strikers alone, the producers/studios should make more of an effort to divvy up the profits as fairly as possible. Both sides need to be willing to negotiate in good faith.
But the producers/studios are playing the old game of making the striking writers (and those supporting them) into villains and strong-arming them, whereas the strike never had to happen if the producers/studios had given the writers some of what they asked for originally – or at least showed they were willing to come to a reasonable resolution.
Went to your blog and read your last post. Didn’t know about the pencil protest. (A coordinated effort for fans to mail masses of pencils to media moguls.) Hmmm…I understand where you’re coming from on that one. Having met some of these “moguls” and knowing how things work, it’ll just be their poor lackies dealing with the pencil protest. Still…would be nice for the moguls to know how many people support the writers. And the poor dears really don’t like having their routines interrupted. A huge load of pencils plopped into their offices will certainly make the…uh…point. To quote the site from your link:
“We want the media moguls to start negotiating in good faith. We want the strike to end with a fair deal for both sides. If we get a fair deal, it helps the actors, the directors, and the below-the-line crew members. Their deals are directly tied to ours.”
Thanks much for the great comment and the cool info. Appreciate that you rabidly support the strike even if the pencil protest may not be your thing. (-; Here’s something about that from Diane Kristine, a TV blogger/critic who basically agrees with you, but still says the message may at least make some impact. Mostly, she says, it’s giving fans a way to voice their support: Pencils Down for Writers, Pencils Up for Fans.
Well said. There’s a bigger picture that most of us are missing. Things that are essential should never be at the mercy of things that are trivial.
Thanks. Nice to see your friendly face again, Herman. Appreciate your own recent post on bringing ideas to reality. Reality…what a concept! (-;
Speaking of pencils, so many people just miss the “point’ and are upset that their favorite T.V. show might be interrupted. I read a post here from a person who calls herself a writer complaining about the strike and I just couldn’t believe my eyes. Oh yes, she’s a novel writer so it doesn’t affect her.
Suddenly I’m just left with alot of swear words and I don’t feel comfortable swearing on other people’s blogs. I’ll stop.
I’ve had such a hard time getting my thougths to collate along with my feelings and writing – I just think of it as fuzzy. I’m not doing very well latley and it’s showing up bigtime.
Anyway, I just wanted to say that this topic deserves more than a “close look” as one other writer here said. What it deserves is real action.
Thank you as always for the real action you’re taking and I’m in the process of looking for other ways to take real action.
/me waves to Herman.
Peace to all.
~ RS ~
Right on sister! It amazes me how writers can separate themselves from this strike. These are working people who deserve their fair share of the revenues they help produce. Why should new revenues from new technology be a potential windfall to only the studios and producers? And as a writer – even in my own piddly way – I feel total solidarity with them. In fact, I’m not writing anything for any of the studios, even if they ask. (Uh…but I’m quite available after the strike! Really. I am. (-; )
Thanks much for the great comment, Ms. Schooz. So sorry you haven’t been feeling well of late. Hope you feel stronger soon.