URGENT! Federal Mediator Intervenes...

supermediator.jpg

I've just learned that the federal mediator has called the surprised parties together for a meeting on Sunday at 10 am to avert Monday's writers strike.

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32 Comments »

  1. Great work on the strike, Nikki.

    I would like to point out, however, that in all the discussions, the mention of the “Producers” is a misnomer of sorts.

    Yes, the last P in the AMPTP is Producers, but most ACTUAL producers really don’t begrudge the writers getting a bump in the DVD and Internet. Honestly, they don’t give a shit.

    It’s the Studios and Networks that are the bad guys here, NOT the Producers. All real Producers care about is getting their stuff made, not if writers get a bump in their residuals. It’s an expense that really doesn’t affect them.

    Comment by Dixon Steele — November 2, 2007 @ 4:49 pm

  2. I am not a writer. I am not connected to Hollywood in any fashion. I am just a stay-at-home mom who has few favorite shows. Funny thing about my few favorite shows: it is the writing far more than the acting that attracts me to them. While I think the actors are outstanding in my favorite shows, it is the dialogue between them that is so attractive. I have learned through researching this that writers don’t really make a lot of money on their product. I just bought the first 3 season of Frasier on DVD. I paid about $30 each for the DVD sets. I wonder how much the writers made on my purchase? “Frasier” is an example of some of the best writing I have seen in a sitcom and those writers deserves more than pennies per dvd or whatever paltry sum they get.

    So, while it may mean losing my shows for awhile, I hope you writers win in the end. Us middle class ordinary Americans certainly sympathize with you by and large. I would sure like to see a strike avoided. After all, this is the best season of “House” so far. But, if you strike, stick to your guns and good luck. You deserve more money than you are making.

    Comment by Joan — November 2, 2007 @ 4:53 pm

  3. I would like to slightly paraphrase a most excellent WGA writer, Lawrence Kasdan: the odds of successfully navigating this asteroid field is 3,720 to 1!

    Comment by Tony S — November 2, 2007 @ 4:55 pm

  4. 10 to 1 the AMPTP won’t even show for it. They’ll just send in some goon who will say ‘no’ to everything and dare the WGA to strike. They think the Fall season is DOA anyway.

    Comment by tom r. — November 2, 2007 @ 5:16 pm

  5. Who out there thinks the mediator will be able to effect anything on Sunday? Can we see a show of hands?

    Connecticut Yankee

    Comment by Connecticut Yankee — November 2, 2007 @ 5:29 pm

  6. From the government that brought us FEMA in New Orleans and the Iraq War comes Super Mediator to save the day.

    Call me a pessimist, but I don’t think this gets it done. Tom R is probably right AMPTP doesn’t take this seriously because

    THEY WANT A STRIKE (for at least 3 months)

    Comment by Agentatanotheragency — November 2, 2007 @ 5:33 pm

  7. Great coverage as ever, Nikki. Do we know who called the mediator in? Is the negotiation with him/her in any way binding?

    Is this, in other words, the “fork in the road” it might appear to be? Or just another “reversal” in the second act? (Or, perhaps the end of the first?)

    Comment by Mark Williams — November 2, 2007 @ 5:44 pm

  8. Congrats on the mediator scoop, Nikki, and great artwork, too. You beat THR by 70 minutes and Variety still doesn’t have anything on line. Your website is a thousand times better than the Defamer.

    Comment by Wayne — November 2, 2007 @ 5:49 pm

  9. I would love to see a mediation miracle on Sunday, but I don’t think it will happen. Essentially, this is a lockout masquerading as a strike. The AMPTP as represented by Nick Counter is evil incarnate, and it ain’t gonna budge.

    Comment by Sammy Glick — November 2, 2007 @ 5:58 pm

  10. This federal mediator will not be worth a crap. The studios and networks want a strike and they will get it. I can bet that CBS Corp. will be the next Enron with Les Moonves and Nina Tassler super rich while the company is in a bankrupcy putting thousands out of work, before this strike is settled. Heck, Rupert Murdoch will have to end his try for Dow Jones, Disney may have to close the theme parks for a while, and GE will have to fold NBC unless Dick Embersol saves the day by reairing NBC’s Olympic footage as it happened starting with Atlanta.

    Comment by Jessy S. — November 2, 2007 @ 5:59 pm

  11. The president could order the writers back to work. This doesn’t happen very often, but if Schwarzenegger and Villaraigosa plead with him, it might. Although middle america may be confused why the president is ordering a bunch of hollywood writers back to work.

    Comment by omar — November 2, 2007 @ 6:00 pm

  12. Just one more thing, The CW will not survive a strike over two months regardless of how much reality they have on the air.

    Comment by Jessy S. — November 2, 2007 @ 6:02 pm

  13. Oh praise be!

    Comment by dollygrip — November 2, 2007 @ 6:08 pm

  14. It’s pretty sad that the equivalent of someone’s mother has to come along and snatch the toys off the bickering kids and send them to their rooms before peace reigns again.

    Both sides ought to be ashamed of themselves. They’ve had months to sort this out and they’ve been too busy posturing and pitching hissy fits over crap like chairs.

    What a bunch of two year olds.

    Comment by Non WGA Writer — November 2, 2007 @ 6:12 pm

  15. Super Mediator? Evil incarnate? Hollywood? This will make an excellent screenplay…

    In four or five months.

    Comment by tenpercenter — November 2, 2007 @ 6:48 pm

  16. Omar,

    FYI, I’m not sure where you’re from, but the US President cannot order writers back to work.

    Sorry.

    Comment by answerng Omar — November 2, 2007 @ 6:49 pm

  17. “Lockout masquerading as a strike.”

    Truer words have never been spoken.

    Comment by Chris — November 2, 2007 @ 6:58 pm

  18. If there is one writer who must continue to work, regardless of a strike, it’s you, Nikki. This coverage - your journalism - has been outstanding.

    In full support of our guild’s resolve…I wonder…will we be allowed to write on posterboard?

    Or will we have to settle, perforce, for blank picket signs?

    Comment by Dakkar - WGA Writer/Procuder & — November 2, 2007 @ 7:04 pm

  19. //”All real producers care about is getting their stuff made”//

    Well, that and getting laid a lot.

    Comment by pumpkin — November 2, 2007 @ 8:05 pm

  20. Nikki:

    You rock. All of the traditional, conglomerate-controlled media are clearly not telling our story correctly, or elucidating our demands with any real understanding of the situation. You have become the writers’ voice in the wilderness. We’re striking because we’ve been given no other choice by the Producers, not because we want to. I’ve been a WGAw member for almost 15 years, and I’ve never been more proud of it than I am right now.

    As a professional storyteller, I can think of no one I would rather have out there telling our story than you.

    Comment by Jack — November 2, 2007 @ 8:08 pm

  21. The mediator was called in over a week ago. Where has he been until now? Designating seating arrangments???

    Comment by frustrated manager — November 2, 2007 @ 8:33 pm

  22. “I just bought the first 3 season of Frasier on DVD. I paid about $30 each for the DVD sets. I wonder how much the writers made on my purchase?”

    I will tell you exactly. I am acquainted with a writer who was on Frasier for many years. This writer received less than $100 for the release of the entire first season on DVD. Less than $100.

    Just in case you were wondering.

    Comment by A TV writer — November 2, 2007 @ 8:38 pm

  23. to the person who didn’t leave his/her name that said “i’m not sure where you’re from.” well i’m from the US and work in politics. And yes the president could not only block the strike, he could order the writers back to work. Perhaps you should do your research before you make such comments. As an example, President Bush signed and executive order in 2001 preventing Northwest workers from striking. Perhaps you should learn a thing or two about Executive Power before you open your mouth.

    Comment by Omar — November 2, 2007 @ 9:14 pm

  24. Omar, for someone who works in politics you don’t know your executive powers very well. Bush forced the mechanics back to work under the Railway Act. A President cannot order workers back to work unless it is under a specific act (in this case it is transportation). If it were that easy Reagan wouldn’t have had to fire air traffic controllers, he would have just ordered them back to work.

    What is Bush going to do if the writers don’t go. Fire them. Maybe YOU should know your politics, especially if you are going to work in it.

    Comment by agentfromanotheragency — November 2, 2007 @ 10:13 pm

  25. Omar, perhaps you should do some research. The president can only order employees back to work if Congress has passed legislation allowing him to do so. The president has the authority to order transportation workers (such as airline employees) back to work pursuant to the Railway Labor Act of 1926.

    I’m pretty sure the Railway Labor Act does not cover screenwriters.

    Comment by beowulf — November 2, 2007 @ 10:49 pm

  26. Jesus, people. The flippant remarks about the mediator are downright ignorant. The Bush regime sickens me, but mediators are bound by law to attempt… to the best of their abilities… to be impartial. Their only agenda is to mediate between the parties. They’re not all agents for the Bush-Cheney cabal.

    Ideally, the mediator should have been summoned several weeks ago — not the day before the contract was due to expire.

    I’m a writer, and I undertand tempers are flaring, but don’t fabricate conspiracies that don’t exist.

    Comment by Get a clue — November 2, 2007 @ 11:18 pm

  27. No, but Nikki recounts the fact that the WGA and AMPTP held a session in the middle of October at WGA’s place, but Nick Counter brought way more people than he thought he would bring and that led to a wasted session. The federal mediator was trying to get both sides to bargain in good faith for over a week, and this is one last attempt by him to do so before the strike begins. All this was is to stop the strike before it hurts either side. Based on what happened the last few weeks, the WGA can take the AMPTP to court in order to get a full shutdown of Television and Movies and the federal mediator will testify on WGA’s behalf. Due to Nick Counter’s actions AMPTP is fighting a losing battle on behalf of the networks and studios.

    Comment by Jessy S — November 3, 2007 @ 12:14 am

  28. At this point, it’s no longer about the WGA’s demands - it’ll be about the DGA’s. Since the AMPTP hasn’t been able to reach the deal it wants with the writers, it will now most likely focus on making a deal with the directors. The premise being that the first group to agree to terms will be the group that establishes the “pattern” in this round of bargaining for the other two (SAG being the third group) for the new agreement term.

    I wonder what the DGA’s pattern of demands will look like? Will it include increases in DVD residuals & downloads and Internet jurisdiction terms? Or will the writers end up alone on that branch?

    I guess we’ll see in the coming weeks.

    Comment by sideliner — November 3, 2007 @ 8:26 am

  29. At this point, if a settlement is reached tomorrow or even within a couple of days it could look bad for either side…. If AMPTP gives in tomorrow they look like bullies cause it means they were always willing to do so; if WGA gives in tomorrow they look like a bunch of “wusses.” In order for both sides to save face, they almost have to strike. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want a strike. What I hope for is the writers get what they deserve and nothing less. They have always been underappreciated.

    Comment by Vicki — November 3, 2007 @ 5:09 pm

  30. My guess is that the federal mediator will try to force an agreement with the writers before going on to the directors.

    Comment by Jessy S. — November 3, 2007 @ 5:37 pm

  31. Apparently they’re planning to shoot 30 Rock on Monday morning as planned, Tina Fey isn’t scheduled to be in front of the camera. The SAG people have been told to come in as scheduled no matter what (I’m guessing the no matter what means cross any picket line at Silvercup Studios, though this was never said.) The claim is they can still shoot whatever script has been left for them. As long as the SAG people do nothing to help with the writing, they can work. I’m confused. I thought something like this wasn’t suppose to happen if there’s a strike. If there’s no picket line, does that mean shooting as usual? If there’s a picket line, and the teamsters choose not to cross, is that it for shooting?

    Actor wannabe (who has friends who may or may not work tomorrow)

    Comment by avid reader of this site — November 4, 2007 @ 10:58 am

  32. If the Teamsters don’t cross the line, that is it for shooting and the AMPTP might as well dissolve the SAG and DAG contracts and lock them out as of right now.

    Comment by Jessy S. — November 4, 2007 @ 3:44 pm

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