2023 Writers Strike Scabs

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[TikiSoo]

Perhaps you're not as unique in the feast or famine scheme as you think.

Agree 100%.
I've watched employment "norms" shift quickly from regular wage employment to more "gig" work with popular delivery services such as Door Dash & Uber. People subsidizing delivery using their own vehicles (insurance/gas/maintenance) and paid piecemeal by the job. Lovely deal for the employer.

Many think it's great making their own hours....until they find out at the end of the year they're a subcontractor not employee & have to calculate their own state/federal tax deductions, expenses. etc. All of a sudden, they realize the job isn't so profitable. That's assuming they're even bothering filing/declaring honestly. (I do)

The writers/actors strikes are against an industry (e.g. Disney, Viacom) whose earnings are suffering.

Aw, poor Disney. These billion $ industries have been screwing the public and their employees/subcontractors for decades keeping their corporate leaders in million dollar houses & lifestyles. They could easily become profitable by changing things at the top not the bottom (like replacing people with AI)

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for capitalism & making money. Almost every "artist" benefits from a "manager" who knows the money/marketing side of their business. But the inequality and exploitation of those who actually do the work by those who manage the product is just far too skewed.

That's why employees create Unions, isn't it?

[jimimac71]

Well, money is money and we could sure use better TV commercials.
I saw this one on Great American Family:

It helps is you know Shania Twain's, "Man! I Feel Like A Woman."
Fantastic creativity.
Some writers could jump ship and do something else, not coming back.
Then the industry could complain there aren't enough good writers anymore.

[jamesjazzguitar]

Note that the auto strike relates to automation and electric cars. Electric cars require less employees (and thus union members), to put together.

E.g. the battery is pre-built outside of the auto factory. One of the US auto workers union's demands is that batteries have to be made in the USA with workers that are part of the union.

This is related to the writer's strike in that one of their demands is a minimum number of writers per-project regardless of if they needed or not (e.g., AI software does a lot of the writing).

 

[txfilmfan]

Note that the auto strike relates to automation and electric cars. Electric cars require less employees (and thus union members), to put together.

E.g. the battery is pre-built outside of the auto factory. One of the US auto workers union's demands is that batteries have to be made in the USA with workers that are part of the union.

This is related to the writer's strike in that one of their demands is a minimum number of writers per-project regardless of if they needed or not (e.g., AI software does a lot of the writing).

 

I think all unions get such rules written into contracts. For example, the musicians union local in NYC has a guaranteed number of minimum players, which varies by theater.

Where I worked, the union covered electronics assembly line workers, construction workers, electricians and furniture movers. They were part of the UAW. The worst dealings were with the movers. There was a rule that they had to send 3 guys to move stuff, even if it only required one or two. The movers were also ones to file the most grievances, because we could not move furniture from one office or cubicle to another without a union guy doing it. That included temporarily borrowing a chair and moving it from one office to another for a quick meeting. If a union rep happened to be in the area and saw you moving a chair, they would file a grievance.

[jamesjazzguitar]

Note that the auto strike relates to automation and electric cars. Electric cars require less employees (and thus union members), to put together.

E.g. the battery is pre-built outside of the auto factory. One of the US auto workers union's demands is that batteries have to be made in the USA with workers that are part of the union.

This is related to the writer's strike in that one of their demands is a minimum number of writers per-project regardless of if they needed or not (e.g., AI software does a lot of the writing).

 

I think all unions get such rules written into contracts. For example, the musicians union local in NYC has a guaranteed number of minimum players, which varies by theater.

Where I worked, the union covered electronics assembly line workers, construction workers, electricians and furniture movers. They were part of the UAW. The worst dealings were with the movers. There was a rule that they had to send 3 guys to move stuff, even if it only required one or two. The movers were also ones to file the most grievances, because we could not move furniture from one office or cubicle to another without a union guy doing it. That included temporarily borrowing a chair and moving it from one office to another for a quick meeting. If a union rep happened to be in the area and saw you moving a chair, they would file a grievance.

If ALL unions had such rules, there wouldn't be all of these strikes. Therefore, that just isn't true. Yea, SOME unions, mainly those representing physical type workers have such rules, but clearly the unions asking for these types of rules, NOW, are doing so because they don't have them.

Note that this is happening in Los Angeles County, where automated check-out machines have been banned for over a decade. Now the union is saying they would be OK with automated check-out as long as it was in their contract that no workers could be replaced due to automated check-out machines. Just another example where unions are looking for companies to pay workers for not working. I.e., a certain number of check-out clerks per annual revenue taken-in by a store (and not based on the need for such workers).

Also, the State of CA is looking to pass a law that would ban automated delivery for 5 years. The reason given to protect jobs from being replaced by automation. The authors have even said that such a law isn't any type of solution but only a way to slow down progress under the hope that other type of jobs that require human workers can replace those lost by automation. Note that Governor Newsom hasn't decided if he will veto the bill or not. He wants to run for President in 2028 (or soon if something happens to Biden): I suspect that Newsom will veto this bill since it is the type of law that plays-well-in-lib-CA, but not in most other states.

PS: All of "this" is relevant to the writers \ actors strike since all major players live and work in L.A. County. E.g. the Nanny, Fran Drescher, head of the SGA, (the actor's union).

[Masha]

Well, money is money and we could sure use better TV commercials.
I saw this one on Great American Family:
[snip]
It helps is you know Shania Twain's, "Man! I Feel Like A Woman."
Fantastic creativity.
Some writers could jump ship and do something else, not coming back.
Then the industry could complain there aren't enough good writers anymore.

This advertisement struck me as perverted genius:


It was particularly apt since there is now a meme which shows a person singing: "We built this city. We built this city on sausage rolls" and is captioned with: "I have no time to google lyrics. I sing what I hear."

The industry does not care for good writers. What it wants is reasonably competent writers willing to perform work-for-hire or willing to work simply for exposure. Work-for-hire means no residual/royalty payments, no onscreen credit and no support for the WGA. Working for exposure is often presented as a way to expand public awareness of your work which might theoretically lead to paying jobs. It is, was and at all times in the future will be a scam.

[jimimac71]

Some of the best writing ever has been in beer commercials. The most creative anyway.

[Masha]

[jimimac71]

Oh Masha! That is insanely funny. You may know the "Dog Tested, Dog Approved" campaign from Subaru.
I have no idea how the money flows with TV or radio advertising.
When I was in radio, local commercials were done in-house.
In my younger days, 1960s-1970s, some commercials were "live copy."
The DJ read from a printed script. Sometimes considered more personable.
I don't know the details of the strike.
I suspect this is an industry where people love what they do, or they wouldn't do it.
I could create radio commercials. Basic stuff with voice over music bed.
I'm sure "Thanks" is all I'd receive. I'd be using their equipment and music bed library.
I know that because I've done it before.
To be honest, I don't like the sound of my own voice.

[jimimac71]

The first Aflac commercial was in 2000. By far, this has to be the best one.
Yogi Berra probably wrote the script.