(no subject)
We are now nearing the end of WEEK FOUR of the strike! As you may or may not know, the WGA and the AMPTP went back to the negotiation table on Monday to start a 3 day session in hopes of finding a fair and reasonable deal for the WGA members. This has extended to a fourth day, due to start at 10am PST this morning. In the meantime, picket lines have continued, and that is exactly what I spent Tuesday doing (and what I will spend next week doing, when picket lines resume). It was cold, it was cloudy, and everyone was very, very excited to be there. Writers of your favourite films and TV shows, the actors of those films & TV shows, local labour unions, representatives from the Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA, the Manhattan borough president, the executive director of the WGAE, fans, you name it-- everyone came out to support the fight that affects us ALL as working class people, and as creative individuals who want security for our artistic property. It's so inspiring and so hopeful that you can't help but to want to do everything you can to vocalise the need for a fair deal to anyone and everyone you encounter.
On a basic level, this strike is a significant one for ALL working people, regardless of whether you're a writer, a set designer, a doctor, an engineer, a line chef, whatever. Unions exist in this country to provide support and security, to ensure that working class people get the benefits and conditions that they deserve. Nearly 54% of all WGA members are unemployed monthly, which is staggering, and increases the need for these negotiations to come to a decent conclusion. While this strike continues, crew members and writers cannot feed their families or buy them Christmas gifts. They can't pay their rent or bills. At no time should an employer be reaping the financial benefits of an employee's work without sharing a single cent of that revenue with the employee, yet that is what's happening here, and what's been happening here for far too long. I think everyone can relate to that, regardless of what walk of life you come from.
I do have a personal stake here-- I am a young writer and actor whose very future within this business is in jeopardy-- all of us should be in complete solidarity for the people working beside us, and for us, to ensure a bright future for us as working artists. My rights and my benefits will be dictated by what happens during THIS strike, with THESE people, and I have to say, I have absolute faith that they will not back down until they have received a deal that is FAIR and that meets their demands, which are still very, very modest. These are the writers, without whom we would have no "Friends" or "The Office", without whom the actors would have no lines to say, and who ultimately do so much in informing pop culture that to be without them would be to be without entertainment, culture, and a great deal of the amazing feelings that our favourite films, plays, and television shows leave us with long after we've stopped watching.
That being said, support the WGA, whether as an artist or a fan. If you aren't in LA or NY, you can still help. Make cold-calls to the big network executives showing your support and letting them know that we won't back down (as nicely as possible, of course). Send pencils to their offices in truckloads to show them that we mean business! If you are a writer, don't write another word until a deal is struck, because pencils down means pencils down! Refuse to download or stream videos of your favourite shows online until the strike is over. Also, fans from a lot of shows have gotten in touch with the producers and many of them have set up fund drives to distribute to crew members so that they can have a little money around the holidays. I have contributed to this one, but do a google search for your favourite show(s).
And if you want to know the particulars of EXACTLY what we're fighting for, take a second to check this out.
If you want to see photos from today's rally in Washington Square Park, mine are uploaded here. No celeb pictures, but if you'd like to see some of the phenomenal actors who stepped out in support (and believe me, I couldn't walk two feet without bumping into one), the WGAE has put up a video from today's event. The WGAE website has more photos and up to date information, if it interests you.
In the meantime, see if you can find me in this photo from the WGAE website. I hope to see some of you on the picket lines.
This all might seem pedantic or obnoxious to some of you, but I wouldn't feel right if I didn't speak up about this.
Oh! I am going to be spending nine glorious days in Los Angeles from January 18-27. If eating at Astroburger and drinking endless iced coffees sounds like your cup of tea (or..yknow, coffee) and you're in the LA/Hollywood area then, you should definitely join me.