Negotiating an end to the writer's strike

By Editorial

In the beginning, the Writer's Guild of America strike was almost exciting.

A group of artists, standing up for themselves against powerful business interests in an era of increasing corporate and media conglomeration. Their demands for fair compensation were a reminder that, even today, organized labor matters for something.

It seemed like a romantic Hollywood story, and the images of stars stopping by to drop off donuts and pizza and voice their support for the strikers sure provided some good publicity.

Plus, their agenda didn't seem unreasonable. As Internet media continues to expand, it only makes sense that the writers would get a piece of the growing profits.

Basically, this didn't look like a strike that would last for too long.

But it's Jan. 17. The strike has been going on for over two months, with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers holding out from even sitting at the bargaining table since Dec. 7. And the endless barrage of California Indian Gaming Initiatives commercials seems to be arguably the most interesting thing on television these days.

But the public horror of Dwight Schrute and Meredith Grey missing from our living rooms every Thursday night pales in comparison to the far more tragic story of the strike: The severe economic hit that many entertainment industry production workers have taken as a result of the two parties' inability to reach a compromise.

In New York City alone, thousands of the city's 78,000 production workers have been jobless since the strike began.

Warner Bros., the film and television studio owned by Time Warner, announced last week plans to lay off 1,000 workers, with no intention to rehire them until the strike is resolved.

The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. estimates that the strike has cost the writers $179 million in lost pay since the strike began. The hit on production workers and stage hands has been even harder, with the same agency saying that they have lost over $300 million in missed paychecks.

And with the toll that the strike has taken on businesses that aren't directly involved with the entertainment industry but depend on it for survival, such as catering companies, restaurants and prop houses, the agency estimates that the strike has caused the Los Angeles region to lose over a billion dollars.

In this news, there's a reminder for all of us: Millionaire celebrities with mansions and fancy cars aren't the only people who are dependent on Hollywood for their survival.

Behind all the glitz and glamour, there are real people with real mouths to feed, and bills to pay. These workers, not the angry viewers, are the real losers of this strike.

The aims of the writers in continuing this strike are understandable. However, one can assume that the people at the negotiating table aren't the ones who are trying to support a family living paycheck to paycheck.

Let's hope that when it comes down to it, both sides are willing to compromise to reach an agreement. The fact is that far more is at stake here than how much of a cut the writers get when you download a show on iTunes.

Hundreds of thousands of people, most of whom are not writers, are being prevented from earning their livelihoods. As the two groups continue their discussions, the urgent need to get these people back to work should always be kept in mind.

And for the rest of us? Well, having Dwight back wouldn't be bad at all.