[karnage]

The WGA will prevail in this strike. The union is right in its stand, unified in its membership, strong in support from the public, and has already begun making interim deals with individual companies.

[untrained skeptic]

Strong support from the public? You mean that there is a sizable group of people that not only noticed they strike is going on, and understand the union's grievances, and support their decision to strike?

I doubt there is one person in 10,000 that has a clue what the issues are that they are complaining about.

I doubt that very many people would care if the union crumbled and the writers were replaced by non-union writers.

I'm sure there are quite a few people who miss seeing new episodes of their favorite shows, but I highly doubt they care if the writers are union members or about the details of their contracts. They likely simply care that the media companies pay well enough to attract good writers, which in some cases they apparently do, and in a lot of cases they apparently don't.

[Argus]

With all due respect, I think you are wrong. The corporate owners of the entertainment companies are not going to open wide the sluice gates to profit participation in the internet for the writers, actors and directors. They will make a deal with the DGA that works for them, then impose the same terms on the other guilds. If the leadership of the WGA are smart, they’ll declare that a victory and end the strike at that point. But I fear that they’re not smart, and that David Young and his cadres think they’re storming the Winter Palace instead of engaging in a negotiation for better wages and benefits.

[nunya bidness]

The WGA will prevail in this strike. The union is right in its stand, unified in its membership, strong in support from the public, and has already begun making interim deals with individual companies.

They may prevail but the bad blood will last for a long time between the writers and all below-the-line crew members. As a card carrying Local 80 grip I can tell you that every co-worker I know is fuming at the timing of the work stoppage. They scheduled it for maximum impact during the height of the TV production schedule and right before the holidays.

And the fact that they've been planning this for a year (and avoiding the traditional early negotiations) and easily could have waited until the spring and have SAG bolster their case when that guild's contract was up for renewal and after TV wrapped for the season only deepens the contempt of the thousands of craft folk who are the engine of the industry.

F the writers. We won't forget this. Ever.