Hollywood Strike

[Cait]

I'm not clear on how Drew Barrymore returning to her show without her writers is different from when Leno, Conan, Stewart, and Colbert did it during the last WGA strike. They're all still in the WGA but she's getting threatened with a lifetime ban. Is it that she's going to be performing scripted material and they just ad-libbed all their shit when they did it?

[Thad]

Thanks, that'd do it.

Glad they closed that loophole. Even if you give the hosts the benefit of the doubt -- and I'd like to, at least for Stewart, Colbert, and Conan -- they said they felt pressured into coming back because the networks threatened to fire their staffs. This removes that hostage-taking maneuver. (And explains why the late-night shows haven't come back this time, which was something else I was wondering about.)

[Grath]

(Also she had security throw out two audience members who put on pro-strike pins they'd been handed while they were crossing the picket lines.)

[Thad]

And now there's a UAW strike on.

One thing that's interesting to me is how much the tone has shifted and how much of the coverage is focusing on how much money CEOs are making while claiming they can't afford to pay workers any more.

A lot of the corporate media is taking its usual pro-corp or both-sides approach, of course (including all the coverage saying things like "because of the strike" instead of "because the bosses have refused to pay their workers fairly"), but it still feels like there's been an important shift here and most people aren't buying it.

[Thad]

[Mongrel]

Oh is Bill Maher scabbing? Ha. Shocked. Shocked, I say.

[Friday]

I'm fully convinced that Maher is just a guy who figured out that you can make money by doing what he does. I don't think he has any real moral or political positions beyond "get mine, fuck everyone else."

Or at least, if he does have any political or moral positions, they are always gonna be subsumed by his selfishness and greed. Also he's just a fuckhead smug asshole who thinks that being a fuckhead smug asshole somehow makes him exceptional or noteworthy.

[Mazian]

And now there's a UAW strike on.

One thing that's interesting to me is how much the tone has shifted and how much of the coverage is focusing on how much money CEOs are making while claiming they can't afford to pay workers any more.

I am deeply impressed with how the UAW is framing their wage increase demands: "The union has demanded a 40 percent wage increase over the next four years, pointing out that the compensation packages for the chief executives of the three companies have increased about that much on average over the last four years."

Just dragging that issue directly front and center, in a way that's perfectly understandable from even the briefest social media news snippet.

[Thad]

Oh is Bill Maher scabbing?

Apparently not.

Bill Maher Holds Off on ‘Real Time’ Return as Writers Guild Talks Set to Resume

“My decision to return to work was made when it seemed nothing was happening and there was no end in sight to this strike,” Maher wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Now that both sides have agreed to go back to the negotiating table I’m going to delay the return of Real Time, for now, and hope they can finally get this done.”

I'd say he saw how it's going for Drew Barrymore, but nah, I don't think that's it; Maher loves being at the center of a shitstorm. Likelier he got a talking-to from someone who reminded him Drew hasn't signed a WGA contract but he has.

[Thad]

Tentative agreement reached with the WGA. Not finalized yet but sounds like a good reason for cautious optimism, and should put SAG-AFTRA in a better position too.

[Upthorn]

My cynical ass thinks AMPTP is gonna try to play the SAG off against the WGA like "We can't afford to raise your pay after the WGA shook us down!"

Don't think SAG are dumb enough to fall for it, but do think AMPTP are dumb enough to try.

[beatbandito]

The deal comes pretty obviously on the tail of studios being on the hook for striking worker unemployment benefits. Of course. Gavin Newsom is a little bitch who wont actually sign it. So while the obvious, big strike that had a lot of public support was likely to force his hand, studios probably assume they can give this up to the writers and the bill will disappear. Gotta keep the pressure up for these worker protections for the SAG to have the same chances.

[Thad]

Summary of the 2023 WGA MBA

[Thad]

And here's a comparison of what they asked for, the AMPTP's original counter-offer, and what's in the tentative agreement.

[Thad]

The WGA strike is officially over as of 12:01 this morning. Apparently they've changed the rules so that work will resume before the members vote on the agreement.

So technically it's possible that the members could reject the agreement and the strike could resume, but judging by the reaction I'm seeing the odds of that are practically nonexistent. The Guild is *very* happy with this deal.

The SAG-AFTRA strike is, of course, still on. But I wouldn't expect it to last much longer. It's conceivable that the AMPTP will try to play hardball with them after this, but it doesn't seem likely.