[lbo-talk] Writers' union says Leno broke rules, subverting cause

Jerry Monaco monacojerry at gmail.com
Fri Jan 4 14:18:29 PST 2008


Leno is subverting just by going back to work. But the "writers" like Leno are in an unusual position. They would not be in the same union with non-management today, if the companies had their choice. They are in effect management, along with show-runners, etc.

Just allowing Leno and others to cross picket lines w/o expelling them from the union shows the weakness of the union. But all I can say about the current WGA leadership is that it is a weakness with eyes wide open.

Jerry

On Jan 4, 2008 2:37 AM, B. <docile_body at yahoo.com> wrote:


>
> http://tv.yahoo.com/contributor/633119/news/urn:newsml:tv.ap.org:20080103:hollywood_labor__ER:85949
>
> Is Jay Leno subverting his union?
>
> By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer
> Thu Jan 3, 3:51 PM PST
>
> [...]
>
> The union rules could present a host of issues: if a
> guild member is prohibited from performing in a
> character for which writers normally provide material,
> what to do about Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert, who
> performs his entire show in character? Colbert's
> program, and "The Daily Show," return to the air
> without writers on Monday.
>
> Leno received support from fellow late-night host
> Jimmy Kimmel, who criticized WGA members for picketing
> Leno and NBC's Conan O'Brien. "I don't want to depart
> too much from the party line, but I think it's
> ridiculous," Kimmel said on Wednesday's show. "Jay
> Leno, he paid his staff while they were out. Conan did
> the same thing. I don't know. I just think at a
> certain point you back off a little bit."
>
> While Leno's writers are on strike, Letterman's
> Worldwide Pants production company reached a separate
> deal to bring writers back. Through the deal, writers
> were also back at work at Craig Ferguson's "Late Late
> Show" on CBS.
>
> At least on opening night, viewers were more intrigued
> by O'Brien's attempt to navigate without writers than
> Ferguson's work with his full staff. O'Brien's "Late
> Night" had 2.8 million viewers, up 37 percent from his
> pre-strike average, Nielsen said. Ferguson was seen by
> 2.2 million people, up 28 percent.
>
> The night was essentially a wash for Kimmel, who is
> working without writers. His ABC audience of 1.8
> million was slightly down from his season average.
>
> [...]
>
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> http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
>

-- Jerry Monaco's Philosophy, Politics, Culture Weblog is Shandean Postscripts to Politics, Philosophy, and Culture http://monacojerry.livejournal.com/

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