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« WGA Post-Strike Watch: News About Returning Shows
Good News for WGA and CBS News
The Writers Guild of America East has reached a tentative agreement with CBS News. The new deal covers 500 news writers, editors, desk assistants, production assistants and graphic artists working in the newsrooms of the network and several of its TV and radio stations. The employees had been working without a contract for more than two years and in November voted to strike. Though they never walked off the job, the action did lead to the cancellation of a scheduled Democratic debate in Los Angeles as presidential candidates were unlikely to cross picket lines to attend. — Stephen Battaglio
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Jan 9, 2008 4:45 PM
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Glad to hear this and thank you, Stephen, for bringing us this news.
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Jan 9, 2008 5:07 PM
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It's great to see that when two sides want to negotiate in good faith, that everyone wins!
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Jan 9, 2008 5:19 PM
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kecward78 -- couldn't agree with you more!
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Jan 9, 2008 5:47 PM
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Hey, but I thought strikes were just this bad thing that couldn't possibly get the strikers what they wanted?
Sure looks like it worked in this case, they got at least some of the things they were demanding.
For all the shills who keep insisting that the rest of WGA can't possibly get anything out of their strike and should just give up and go back to work, I'd love to hear your spin on this one.
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Jan 9, 2008 5:55 PM
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I don't understand. Isn't news considered reality? What about Fox, ABC and NBC. ABC just had a debate last week in NH.
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Jan 9, 2008 5:58 PM
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They're being misleading with this one (bad form TV Guide). The news writers have nothing to do with the WGA strike beyond sympathy with the Hollywood writers. The news writers were working, didn't walk off the job, and had no plans to attempt a sympathy walk out. The demands of the news writers aren't even comparable to those of the Hollywood writers.
It is worth noting, however, that the news writers, even without a contract, continued to work and were able to avoid the economic and emotional strife that would have resulted from them striking. Plus, they and all the collateral workers in the news industry kept their jobs. In this WGA strike, there are many people, both writers and non-writers, who are being financially ruined and who will permanently lose their jobs (and perhaps their careers in Hollywood) because of this strike. WGA is the only one to blame for that.
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Jan 9, 2008 10:32 PM
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Gee gollysunshine,it is too bad that you can not be adult and discuss a situation rationally without name calling and putting people down. Where in the article did it say that CBS bullied the news writers for two years. In Nov. the writers voted to strike, but according to the article "they never walked off the job" They did have the option, but did NOT. I for one am not privy to what "everyone" on the picket line knows and you probably don't either. I am very sympathetic towards the writers, but there is a lot of collateral damage, as many people who are not writers are out of a job. They are losing money that they will not get back. Who is feeding their children and paying their mortgages. Never mind all the day to day bills that we all have. While the writers are not rich, the hairdressers, set designers, caterers, etc. get paid even less and can ill afford to lose their pay while the writers quibble about a percentage of internet residuals. I don't have the answers, but then again I don't have to belittle other people and their opinions to get my point across. Maybe YOU should try it sometime.
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Jan 10, 2008 9:59 AM
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I agree; there's simply no need for name calling. It's ok to disagree, but to resort to name calling is just childish. That said, I do agree with most of what gollysunshine has said.
Now I have a question that I hope the good folks at TV Guide, or perhaps another poster, could answer. Why hasn't anyone in Congress stepped up to help get both sides together to end this strike? Certainly California's governor, Big Schwarzeneger himself (not sure of the spelling there), must want to see an end to this. After all, he worked in the business and now runs the state. Why hasn't he gotten involved? I realize he doesn't want to appear to favor one side over the other, but there is a way to do that without appearing to support either side. Why haven't I heard about him even TRYING to do something? Many of his constituents are now out of work, and I'm not only talking about the writers, but the people behind the scenes who had to be laid off (the camera people, grip people, makeup people, etc.), but also others that are forgotten about, such as the caterers who had to cancel jobs because of it. This strike has not only cost 12,000 writers to be without pay, but thousands of other people who rely on the business as their livelyhood. Doesn't the governor care? How about their senators or republicans? Don't they care? I bet they would if they thought about each and every person out of work right now is also a voter. I simply don't understand it. When baseball went on strike, didn't Congress get involved? And, God forbid any of the over-priced ballplayers go without pay for too long!!!! Honestly, I'm bewildered.
And, in case anyone's wondering, I do not work in the business. As a matter of fact, I'm a working stiff secretary working in my local school district (with some time on my hands) in a small town probably some 50,000 strong in eastern Pennsylvania who also happens to love scripted TV and hate reality TV. I just want the 2 sides to come together, bargain in good faith, and get a fair contract. Both sides need to take their heads out of their rear ends and get the deal done!
If anyone can shine the light on my question, I would apprecate it. Without any name calling, of course.
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Jan 10, 2008 11:02 AM
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I am so glad the news writers at CBS are not part of WGA, otherwise the CBS news would have shut down.
By the way,
Who gives the writers a bad name?!
WGA leaders and people with attitudes like gollysunshine!!!
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Jan 10, 2008 12:06 PM
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Coming out from lurking to answer the question above on why Congress hasn’t stepped in.
The US government most times does not get involved in private labor disputes unless it’s a matter of national security. Examples of industries that fall under the category of ‘national security’ would be steel workers, automobile, and coal mining, ect. This strike though irritating for viewers and economically devastating to a local economy would not fall under the category of a national security issue. So the national labor board really, IIRC, can’t step in unless invited to do so by both sides.
The system overall is designed to keep the government out.
Now back to lurking and rolling my eyes at both sides.
Thank goodness for the History and Discovery channel!
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Jan 10, 2008 12:14 PM
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Who gives the writers a bad name?!
WGA leaders and people with attitudes like gollysunshine!!!
Oh the humanity!
Can someone like gollysunshine, an educated and informed blogger please explain again this whole strike?
ITS THE NETWORKS THAT ARE GETTING RICH _ NO ONE ELSE!!!!
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Jan 10, 2008 12:53 PM
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lburke, thanks for the insight, but it really doesn't explain why Congress got involved with the baseball strike. Surely baseball wasn't involved in national security. Unless, of course, our government confused the national pasttime with national security!
I still think that those running California (i.e, the governor) should look at how it's also hurting the overall economy of the state (something I forgot to allude to in my earlier post). All these people out of work (and not striking) are collecting unemployment. That can't look good during election time. Surely he can spin it any way he wants to appear not to favor one specific side, but I would think he would also want this resolved for the good of the city. Something has to be done to get these 2 sides back to the table. Mediation? Anything? I'm just at a loss as to how this stalemate can last this long. Both sides have an obligation to get this thing done. And if both sides are stubborn, then send The Terminator in!
One thing I wanted to comment on about the agreement between CBS writers and CBS. According to an article I read in the LA Times online, the agreement the writers received was not retroactive, meaning that they did not receive any back-raises. CBS saved a ton of money on that contract in retro pay alone. Even though the newswriters got a contract, they lost a bit in the deal. Gotta give to get, I guess. Hear that AMPTP & WGA??????
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Jan 10, 2008 12:54 PM
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Well at least something is moving in the right direction. How about the rest of the TV networks, when are they going to reach a agreement?
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Jan 10, 2008 2:10 PM
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Ico and friends:
I think the reason congress got involved in the Baseball strike was related to Baseball's exemption from antitrust law. I think it was done as a scare tactic...if the strike didn't get resolved Congress would move to end the exemption. see
http://espn.go.com/mlb/s/2001/1205/1290707.html for a start.
Baseball's antitrust exemption: Q & A
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By Darren Rovell
ESPN.com
Q: What is the antitrust exemption and how did baseball get it?
A: Any business that operates across state borders -- and therefore participates in interstate commerce -- is subject to antitrust legislation. Attempts to control trade and monopolize may be deemed illegal by federal circuit courts under the Sherman and Clayton acts.
Baseball has been exempt from these antitrust laws since 1922, when the Supreme Court ruled in its favor in Federal Baseball Club of Baltimore, Inc. v. National Baseball Clubs. The Supreme Court determined even though there was scheduling of games across state lines, those games were intrastate events since the travel from one state to another was "not the essential thing," Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote in the decision.
Baltimore, a member of the Federal League that operated as a major league in 1914-15, had sued the National and American Leagues, charging the Federal League's inability to sign players was due to antitrust violations.
At the time of the 1922 ruling, the National and American Leagues were merely umbrella organizations. They arranged the schedules and set the rules, but the business was entirely local in the sense that there was no revenue sharing, no radio or television and no national sponsors or licensing deals.
By virtue of the exemption, coupled with decades of reluctance of various courts to overrule, baseball is the only sport, or business for that matter, that has an exemption to the extent that it does.
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Jan 10, 2008 2:54 PM
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