In a blatantly undemocratic action aimed at forcing through a sellout agreement, the Writers Guild ordered its members to return work before they had even been given a chance to review and vote on the three year contract.
The determination and solidarity of the writers and actors is undeniable, and inspiring. But that does not lead to the conclusion that the agreement is “exceptional,” with “meaningful gains and protections for writers.”
The behind-closed-doors talks represent a grave danger to the striking writers, who have made immense sacrifices over the course of more than 140 days.
After facing enormous backlash on social media and on the picket lines, talk show hosts Bill Maher, Drew Barrymore, and Jennifer Hudson announced they would temporarily pause returning to their talk shows after the Writers Guild of America confirmed on Monday that they would resume negotiations with the major studios on Wednesday in the hopes of getting a deal “as soon as possible.”
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Studio and network executives are outraged by the writers’ audacity in challenging their right to absolute control over the future of film, television and other media, including virtually all the wealth it produces.
To defeat the attack on writers requires the full mobilization of the workforce in the entertainment industry, all of whom, in one way or another, will face this type of assault on their conditions of life.
Last Friday’s walkout by the television and movie producers from negotiations with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) begins to reveal the profound social, political and cultural issues contained in the strike by film and television writers, now in its sixth week.
The writers and their supporters face massive transnational conglomerates who also own the media and have intimate connections to both major political parties.
