December 12, 2007
Workers of the New World unite!
My Financial Times column this week takes a look at the Hollywood screenwriters’ strike and the freelance walk-out at MTV Networks.
I argue that collective bargaining only has a limited role for professionals of this kind because the people who do best are those who negotiate their own contracts. But collective action has an emerging role outside the workplace - trade unions or mutual groups can organise health insurance and pension schemes both for employees and freelances.
You can read it here and post comments below.
If you can ask “Workers of the New World Unite!” when referring to scriptwriters and designers then clearly the same rights should be bestowed on those that voting with their feet and with their remittances are perhaps even more the real workers of the New World, though they still lack a unison voice…. Emigrants/Immigrants of the Whole New World Unite!
Since in gross earnings the emigrants/immigrants definitely represent one of the major economies in the world, they (and the global corporations) are really the ones who should next be empowered with Chairs at the Executive Boards of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Posted by: Per Kurowski | December 13th, 2007 at 2:24 pm | Report this commentJohn, don’t write about what you don’t know. They’re “on strike to get, among other things, a bigger share of online revenues.” They currently get nothing, but I guess something is bigger than the NOTHING so you are technically right. Back in the 80s writers conceded royalties on DVD sales of tv shows. Fool me once…
“Writers clearly suffer from being more anonymous and interchangeable than directors or on-screen stars – being part of the “writers’ room” implies lack of individual recognition.”
This is just clueless. If it wasn’t for the union contract the credits would just be lists of conglomerate execs. Like every other industry the execs would like to stick the blame on junior employees for screw ups and take credit for the successes. The contract prevents this, defining who gets credited for what. This is the central tenet of the WGA contract and most of the other contracts in the entertainment industry.
There’s a reason those famous night show hosts have been supporting their writers out on strike. Most of them are or have been guild members too. Jon Stewart was one of the main reasons Comedy Central writers became guild members. It’s really hurt his reputation in the biz.
Posted by: mojonixon | December 13th, 2007 at 3:42 pm | Report this commentJust because writers are not acknowledged as “talent” does not mean they are not! The industry owns much of the means of production, but not this part, and seems to have lost sight of this fact. The writers have leverage because their work is so fundamental to the business. The media conglomerates would do well to evaluate the relative pay and contributions of all those to “swarm around film and television studios”, particularly in the executive suites.
Posted by: anemone | December 13th, 2007 at 6:17 pm | Report this comment