WGA Battling Comedy Central Over Writers

Friday, May 11, 2007 -

The Writers Guild is pushing Comedy Central to allow a number of their writers to unionize, but the cable channel seems none too pleased about the way the WGA is going about getting that accomplished.

"We have been speaking with the WGA's leadership and we have offered to promptly begin negotiating contracts for each of our current live action shows," the net said. "We are dismayed that the WGA has rejected our offer and instead has precipitously chosen to take this issue public."

I personally see nothing wrong with taking the issue public, after all unions are essentially nothing but the public working together for negotiating leverage against impersonal corporations only concerned with their own bottom lines.

The current WGA president and board of directors are known confrontationists and won't shy from it under any circumstances, which isn't bad so long as they have some amount of wisdom to go along with the brashness.

WGA has already organized the writers of The Daily Show so it should have come as any surprise that the guild would be looking to expand on that, so now they are.

"As a comedy writer, I applaud Comedy Central's success. It is a literal oasis in the current TV comedy landscape. I encourage them to sign a WGA contract so they can keep the writers working there now and attract other WGA writers in the future - lest their success become a mirage," said WGAW President Patric M. Verrone.

I don't think any of the shows in question are in danger of going off the air because of this behind-the-scenes business, but it would be nice not to have this one blow up like the ANTM strike did. We can't afford another blow like that so close to the upcoming overall contract negotiations. (Variety)

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[..]
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Topics: Film, Television, WGA, Comedy Central, Friday Night Lights, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lindsay Lohan, Lost, FCC, Michael Moore, Joost

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Anonymous

May 11, 2007, 4:27:00 PM
I'd like to point out that corporations are essentially nothing but the public working together to provide jobs and income for themselves, and profits for their shareholders.

I'd also point out that the big impersonal Unions by their very nature are only concerned with "their own bottom lines."

Neither side has the moral high ground in this issue.

Paul William Tenny

May 11, 2007, 4:41:00 PM
I strongly disagree, they couldn't possibly be any different.

Corporations are only concerned with increasing their net value to enrich shareholders, always at the cost of their employees. Hardly any employees own stock in their company.

Unions work for those people, against the corporations, to ensure fair living wages for the people, the workers, instead of the wealthy shareholders who do nothing, but still gain.

Unions fight for people, corporations fight for shareholders. They are nothing alike.

Hey, thanks for the comment though. Come back anytime.

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