The Associated Motion Picture and Television Producers came back to the table this past week... the one they got up and left which pushed the WGA out on the picket lines after we didn't receive anything close to a fair offer before this tragic strike started... but they still don't seem to be getting the hint.

We had been optimistic. After a month of overwhelming fan and general public support and inspirational solidarity, I thought it was clear that we're not coming back for less than we feel we're worth and, most importantly, than we're due.

You can read the entire joint letter from WGAE and WGAW Presidents Michael Winship and Patric Verrone here.

But here's a sample of what we're contending with:

Thursday morning, the first new proposal was finally presented to us. It dealt only with streaming and made-for-Internet jurisdiction, and it amounts to a massive rollback.

For streaming television episodes, the companies proposed a residual structure of a single fixed payment of less than $250 for a year's reuse of an hour-long program (compared to over $20,000 payable for a network rerun). For theatrical product they are offering no residuals whatsoever for streaming.

For made-for-Internet material, they offered minimums that would allow a studio to produce up to a 15-minute episode of network-derived web content for a script fee of $1300. They continued to refuse to grant jurisdiction over original content for the Internet.

In their new proposal, they made absolutely no move on the download formula (which they propose to pay at the DVD rate), and continue to assert that they can deem any reuse "promotional," and pay no residual (even if they replay the entire film or TV episode and even if they make money).

The AMPTP says it will have additional proposals to make but, as of Thursday evening, they have not been presented to us. We are scheduled to meet with them again on Tuesday.

Sigh.

Reading the letter I received last night from Guild leadership, I am reminded of the famous Ghandi quote re: resistance to power in the face of unfairness:

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."

Everyone wants this over with. That's a certainty. But I can tell you one thing, being out there in the cold and rain of the New York WGAE picket lines with the late-night comedy writers and the rest of us non-LA people... we're not caving. I would be STUNNED to learn there was any pressure by membership to settle for something less than the prize. The solidarity has been overwhelmingly positive and I get the sense we're capable of holding out for a very, very long time. It doesn't have to be this way but business, as we've learned, only responds to a cost-analysis when making decisions that impact profit. We need to cost them more by striking than we do by getting what we want from their greedy fucking pockets.

I say fine. The perverse side of my brain looks forward to potentially shutting down shows like LOST for the 2008 season... for extending this strike deep into 2008 so that major movie sequels planned for 2009 (hello SPIDER-MAN and HARRY POTTER) are jeopardized. It doesn't have to be this way but, truthfully, I hope it comes to that if these guys insist on keeping us out on the picket lines like they are. This isn't going to be easy, but the truth is... most of us are struggling at this gig anyway. I say bring on the Oliphants, the Orcs and the Eye of Sauron.

Middle Earth was free once and shall be again.

The WGA and the AMPTP are getting back to the table today. A news blackout has been issued so who the hell really knows what's going on.

But Nikki Finke has a great, optomistic story over at Deadline Hollywood Daily today. Hollywood is, more or less, shut down this time of year anyway. At least for my purposes. Nobody's thinking of much besides skiing in Aspen and holiday parties. To get back to things after the New Year would be perfect, par for the course, and greatly appreciated.

Thank you, Nikki, for all you do.

Unless this collapses, I mean.

It's a wintry mix here in New York City as I wake this monday morning. I'm certain it's still sunny in Los Angeles. But here, at the tip of the spear of this ongoing work stoppage, we gird for battle. I'm reminded of images of soldiers fighting on skis in the Korean War.

Here we go. Week three. In New York, picketing will resume tomorrow (Tuesday, November 20) at Sony Plaza.

Again, I feel small in the face of corporate mega-hugeness. In L.A., you're out picketing a movie studio gate... it's tangible. Something we all walk through for work-related purposes, sometimes, every day (when in town working/taking meetings, in my case anyway). Sony, like Time Warner Center, is a massive edifice filled with worker monkeys and hemmed in with tourists and shoppers lapping up the public relations effort. This is the interior/public food court:

I am certain we will not be inside. Nor am I confident that Spider-Man is looking out for us, citizens of New York City, in this regard.

I am also cautiously optimistic re: negotiations between the Guild and the AMPTP which are set to resume next monday, after the holiday weekend. There are so many theories flying around... are we landing punches and forcing them back to the table or are they just humoring us in an effort to help themselves in the public relations war we're currently spanking them in? Who the fuck knows...

I've spent a good, fun portion of my professional and young adult life conceiving and writing stories for Spider-Man in the pages of Marvel Comics. I do not like to see us as adversaries at this point. And I remain wanting for this strike to end... though I remain adamantly in support of my Guild and its goals with even greater resolve.

The Daily Show writers shot this while the rest of the WGAE was picketing around Wall Street in the background, yesterday. Funny stuff. I want TDS back... and I want this strike over already...

Wow... just... wow.

Nikki Finke's new column up at Deadline Hollywood Daily reports that heavy hitter agents at the big companies are trying to bring the WGA and the AMPTP back to the table. We'll see how this goes. The studios left the bargaining process. We've been waiting for them to come back all along. But we'll see...

Week Two of the strike is upon us. No picketing planned for Monday here in New York City, but there are major strike actions planned for both Tuesday and Wednesday here in town:

Tuesday, November 13th
10:00am - 2:00pm
Northeast Corner of Battery Park, corner of State St. and Bowling Green

The media conglomerates are busy bragging about new media profits to their shareholders while crying poverty to writers. On Tuesday we're going to Wall Street directly to set the record straight. We'll hear from Guild leaders and then spread our message throughout the Financial District with leafleting around the NYSE.

Wednesday, November 14th
10:00am - 2:00pm
World of Disney Store
711 5th Avenue (5th Avenue and 55th Street)

On Wednesday we'll meet at the Disney Store to demand that Disney recognize the work of writers, work that is being sold at a stunning pace inside their store as well as on the internet. We demand that Disney fairly compensates their writers whenever and wherever their work is shown and sold

Come on down and show your support if you can. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a quote by Mahatma Ghandi on the protest against great power by convicted men determined to win what's theirs:

"First, they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win."

See you on the picket line...

I was going to comment on Digby's excellent post from the other day discussing the solidarity between union members of both the white and blue collar variety in California. America needs more unions. More unions mean less profit-driven at the cost of workers' good bullshit by the corporations they work for.

But instead, I offer this funny re-post of the first comment left:

The flaw with unions is that it interrupts the vassel/liege relationship that is so vital in today's modern dark ages.

As the first week of WGA Strike 2007 comes to a close following the magnificent rally at Fox/NewsCorp on both coasts today, I finally have a chance to sit down and read up on things.

Governor Schwarzenegger is pissed. Mayor Villaraigosa is pissed. You can't blame them. I don't know the effect on the massively diverse economy here in New York City, but this is potentially catastrophic stuff in Los Angeles. Crew members, actors, drivers... as well as dry cleaners, shop owners, restaurant employees, day care workers... anything and everything flows from the tit of the entertainment industry. Very, very bad things will happen for a whole lot of people if the AMPTP doesn't get back to the table and end this thing fairly and soon.

But this quote from Gov. Schwarzenegger in today's AP piece just made my head spasm at the end of my aching neck:

Schwarzenegger said he had urged both sides to reach a deal so thousands of behind-the-scenes workers already idled by stalled TV production could return to their jobs.

"I think that's the sad story, because the studio executives are not going to suffer, the union leaders are not going to suffer, the writers that are striking, they are not going to suffer. Those are all people that have money," the actor-turned-governor said.

He said he had not been invited to participate in negotiations.

Is this man serious?

As a working screenwriter (which essentially means an oft-unemployed one with intermittent flashes of employment and sales success to make it just worthwhile enough during the long fingernail climb up the mountainside), I can tell you that I've lived off the same residual payments we're striking over while chasing my next gig, pounding out my new spec, etc. I've, like, scarcely avoided eviction on more than one occasion in my young life due to the quarterly check the Writer's Guild corrals for me from the studio. I've had "success" in the movie business sense which, I can tell you, can often go hand and hand with being broke between successes.

I'm lucky in that I also have comics. But most writers are in the same boat. We're often un or under-employed. We usually make the absolute minimum amount of money a company can get away with paying us for officially contracted work we do (let alone the extra writing they always try to squeeze out of you before paying). It's what we love to do, what we've aspired to and dreamt about doing our entire lives... but it often doesn't pay very well at all when you consider the time and sacrifice involved.

Not up front, anyway. But, hey, that's show business.

And Arnold is right to point out how devastating this is to the "little guys" (that's said with affection and respect). This work stoppage is potentially tragic for a lot of people. But he's offering up a straw man as he paints anyone who works above the line in Hollywood as some pampered excess-sucking stereotype.

Shit, if I've got all the money we must be fucked.

This is what I marched in today here in New York City, by the way:

Front lines, baby. Three hours ahead and taking the point position as we wade into the jungle on dawn's patrol. The few. The proud. The WGAE.

All things being equal with regards to our strike, now in its fifth day, I can honestly say that one of the pluses of marching in the picket line here in New York City was the realization of a lifelong dream: to work with the big inflatable rat.

A stalwart mainstay at labor stoppages, 'The Rat' (I don't know if he's actually got a name) has always been regarded as the shining icon of organized labor and our struggle against soulless corporate greed. Well, yesterday I showed up for picket duty at the Time Warner Center and, well, we might have a new champion...

Our most excellent brethren at United Hollywood have put together a simple petition where you, the viewing audience, can sign and show your support.

Check it out!

Massive rally at Fox Studios in LA and in front of NewsCorp headquarters here in NYC today.

The struggle continues!

I've been asked by a couple of people how to add the widgetbox blog thing on my myspace page to their own pages. The short answer is, I'm not sure... it took me a couple of attempts to install the code they gave me.

But I have been able to generate the button below. I'd say click away and we'll both hope for the best. Let me know how/if it works out...

I've been meaning to post with news and reports from the WGAE picket lines here in New York. Tomorrow, we're down in front of the Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle. God, I hate that monstrosity... I almost want to picket the desecration of the grave of the old New York Coliseum that used to stand on that spot.

It's a very daunting thing, looking up at a massive edifice of corporate permanence and realizing you're striking for what you believe is a fairer share of a tyrannosaurus rex's dinner.

We have to hit these soulless borg in the only place they could ever admit to feeling it... the pocketbook.

Everyone's reposting this excellent, member-made video on just why the WGA is on strike and what's at stake. We're not being the least bit unreasonable. The concept of fairness and sharing simply isn't encoded into the t-rex's makeup.

Thanks to Eric Lieb for compiling and making this list so easily swipeable...

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