Who supports the WGA?

After 3 months of negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the Writers Guild of America has gone on strike. I’ve provided links for anyone who wants to know more about what forced this action. Some of our favorite shows are already off the air. Others only have a handful of new episodes left. If the AMPTP takes a hard line, they will replace scripted shows with 2nd-rate reality or game shows.

Here is my suggestion. Mail unsharpened PENCILS to the AMPTP and your favorite studios. It costs 58 cents on a business-sized envelope.

Lets show them just how much support the WGA and the shows they write have, AND give the AMPTP a graceful way to back down. We are their customers. Our opinion should count.

AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers)
15503 Ventura Boulevard
Encino CA 91436

Thanks!

http://www.wga.org/
http://www.amptp.org/

dan m2007-11-09T21:51:52Z

Favorite Answer

I'm against the strike because this will drive up the cost on movies and i think we can get writers by the dozens if not lets bring some in from out of the country . unions are useless now that we have NAFTA we better care about our jobs holly wood can get stars cheaper in other countries to.

?2017-01-06T15:36:49Z

instruct your help by making use of spreading the reality with regard to the region: A author buddy of mine despatched this to me: I wrote a action picture (i'm a WGA member) and gained an entire 4 cents in line with reproduction offered. sure, i'm no longer joking! it is approximately what a author gets on a DVD sale. 4 pennies! the persons who press the DVD make ten situations that. it is between the optimum subject concerns the WGA strike is approximately. Please unfold this records around to human beings so as that they comprehend the writers are no longer being grasping. If the studio sells a DVD for 12.ninety 9/reproduction, the place does each and all of the money pass? shouldn't there be some honest % sharing? And with regard to the grasping experts... it is different from they get an advantage for screwing the writers. they only make extra money for a enterprise. The studios p.c. the crappy DVD deal to be prolonged to new media (like i tunes). "How approximately NO!" Oh wait, it is a line from "Austin Powers," which by making use of the way made the studio approximately 2 billion money. What if a author never wrote those words? Then the place could all those studio rate debts be?

a writer2007-11-10T11:23:06Z

As a WGA writer, I think the pencils idea is terrific. After all, we've put our pencils down. If the studios think they can wield them better than us, let 'em try.

As to the fellow who suggested that this is a battle among the rich, be aware that the average income for a writer is $62,000/year and that our union has 48% unemployment at any given time! Sure there are a few very successful writers, but the vast majority of the WGA is very middle class.

Here's the deal: when a book is sold, the author gets paid. When a song is played, the songwriter gets paid. Up until now, when a writer's work is shown, he's gotten paid. The internet has changed all this.

The networks and studios are distributing material via new media and charging for it (or selling advertising). There is no cost to the distribution and yet they claim that they're not sure if they're going to make any money.

We just want our fair share -- after all, we created the shows that have made the studios and networks very, very rich.

If the writers got EVERYTHING they're currently asking for, it adds up to less than the annual salary for A SINGLE STUDIO HEAD.

Lillian Angelina's proud mom2007-11-10T13:30:31Z

I don't support either or. Fighting for money sounds very greedy. I know that they get a low percentage but they are moved by greed after seeing how much they can make. On the other hand, the companies should take the initiative to perhaps sharing double of the tiny amount they share with writers. Both greedy and we as customers are the ones desperately asking for those shows so we are feeding them with money and leading them to be the way the are. It doesn't affect me, there is more to do on my spare time besides watching tv.

bruiserkc22007-11-09T17:17:15Z

I'm having a hard time deciding...I'm sort of torn. It almost reminds me of the labor strikes in sports, especially the baseball one that cost us the '94 World Series or the NHL lockout that made me stop watching the NHL.

It seems to me it's an issue of rich people trying to figure out how to split money among themselves. Maybe it's not quite like the sports ones as the writers don't make A-rod type money but they're not exactly poor either.

TV's been heading this way for a while...the reality shows run rampant as people choose to watch shows like "Survivor" and "American Idol". At the same time...TV ratings and viewership is down as a whole.

I'm trying to feel sympathy but I don't know if I can for anyone. I enjoy shows like "24" and "The Colbert Report" but if I don't have them life can go on I guess. I always have my sports and news shows.

Show more answers (2)