Some minor good news on the WGA strike front. Last week it was reported that the WGA had reached an interim deal with United Artists, and now it’s been made official that The Weinstein Company has also signed an interim deal with the WGA which will allow writers to work on Weinstein projects.
As I mentioned before with the United Artists deal, I very much like the concept of interim deals in this situation. It’s a simple stop gap measure to keep things moving, neither side is bound by it and only have to live with it until a broader deal is reached with the AMPTP (The producers association). It keeps the system moving while a permanent binding agreement gets hammered out, and it’s EXACTLY what the WGA and AMPTP should get in place while working on their permanent deal. In an interim deal, you don’t have to worry about not getting what you want… because it’s only good for a short period of time in theory.
HAVING SAID THAT…
I’ve had conversations recently with a couple of friends of mine who are VERY pro-WGA and VERY pro-union who absolutely HATE this interim deal stuff the WGA has set up with United Artists. They say it weakens the union and the principles behind it. To quote one of them:
“This is bullshit. Are you a union or not? You can’t have a union where some people in it get to work while others can’t. You stand together or you don’t. If I was in the WGA right now and being told I can’t work by my union, but Eddie holding the picket sign 10 feet away from me gets to go back to work tomorrow, then I’m fucking pissed”.
Personally, I don’t agree with that assessment of “all or nothingness”, but I can see where it would be frustrating for some people, especially in the Union. But sometimes the best progress is made one little step at a time instead of all at once.
