I spent some part of tonight chatting with Patrick Verrone, the President of the Writer's Guild of America (WGA). He's in town testifying on behalf of net neutrality, which is significant for reasons I'll go into. The WGA has not traditionally done much political work or political organizing, at least in the modern era. In fact, while much of labor translates some of its organizing power into political influence via political donations, having a PAC is actually against the constitution of the Writer's Guild. While the group has worked on issues, items like Fyn-Syn, or the consolidation or content producers and distributors went through without much of a fight. The independent TV producers simply died as it became unprofitable to make TV by anyone but the conglomerates, reducing the power of writers versus the studio.
The decline of leverage for writers through the WGA was arrested during the strike, when the WGA used fan communities and internet messaging to maintain solidarity and win the battle of public opinion. It has had two significant effects on the WGA. One, it allowed the WGA to continue existing. The studios did not think that the writers could resist for that long, and certainly did not realize that their ability to control the message from the trade journals in LA and the media would be undercut so dramatically by the internet. And two, it has created an awareness within the WGA that the internet is fundamental to their organizing power.
Verrone is in town to testify for net neutrality, a far cry from would have seemed to have been his mandate when he was elected to lead the guild. And yet, the internet genuinely won a labor struggle against corporate power, and so it's clear to writers how important it is that they associate themselves with internet freedom. Business models are moving to the web, but more significantly, the studios are trying to extend their control over distribution to the web and the writers now know how problematic that is. The WGA never goes against studio interests on non-core related issues, so this is a huge break in precedent.
In our conversation (with more than just Verrone), I learned about a couple of interesting parts WGA strike that actually do scale across the rest of labor. One, the extension of the communications into fan communities was key, and while not every industry has fan communities, there are more of them than you'd think. Two, one of the killers in any strike are rumors, because corporations float them to wedge leaders against members. They make leaders think that members aren't with them, and they make members think leaders are selling them out or acting irresponsibly truculent. In the WGA strike, the writer-led blog United Hollywood simply killed rumors through robust and open discussion. Combined with the exceptionally high quality communications from the writers to the public at-large, the rumor-killing completely defanged the PR operation of the studios. And three, the liberal blogospher was able to damage Chris Lehane, a very narrow target of PR consultants that intersect with the political realm that the liberal blogs in particular are good at hitting.
There are unique elements to the WGA strike, obviously, but I suspect the basic narrative of greedy corporate bullies fighting workers with reasonable demands is applicable across labor. Labor density is on the uptick, and there are new tools in place to make sure that continues.
Matthew Yglesias points to this article which describes writers beginning to cut deals with internet startups to get around the studios during the strike. This is something I noted when I spoke to a writer on the picket line a few weeks ago.
He told me there is lots of weird hedge fund money coming in to fund movies, and new attempts to distribute films on the internet. The overall environment for producing great content is becoming more competitive and more difficult for the studios, and I imagine that if they don't settle with some good solution for the writers, the real danger is that they will simply lose their content business.
Why write as a slave for GE or CBS when you can write and own part of your content going through another distribution outlet?
Significantly, Moveon has a petition asking the studios to end the strike, with a Facebook group here. The specific ask is to bring back the Daily Show, which has been off during the strike. But Moveon isn't just an advocacy group, it's also a content distribution channel to 3 million people. If the studios don't strike a good deal with their creative talent, they will lose their business model. Talented writers have a lot of options available to them, and if the studios create the conditions where these people have to make money on the internet without studio help, they will will find a way to do it.
I'm curious to see how this strike plays out, and how Moveon will engage. It could be a very meaningful step towards building much stronger bridges between different components of the progressive movement.
I'm a big fan of labor. Still, while unions are an incredibly necessary structure for a progressive country, there is often bad behavior within the solidarity fold. I have seen it with the United Autoworkers undermining CAFE standards, and the Communications Workers undermining net neutrality. So here's another example: Thomas Short of IATSE attempting to sabotage the WGA in Business Week.
The media conglomerates walked out of talks with the writers after issuing a list of demands and hiring Clintonista Chris Lehane. This is an attempt to crush the union. It's not about money for these moguls, it's about power. Jane has more.
Write the executive in charge of your favorite show with this nifty FDL tool to let them know that they should negotiate with the writers in good faith.
I took that picture on the picket lines a few weeks ago when I was in LA after spending some time chatting with a screenwriter. He told me there is lots of weird hedge fund money coming in to fund movies, and new attempts to distribute films on the internet. The overall environment for producing great content is becoming more competitive and more difficult for the studios, and I imagine that if they don't settle with some good solution for the writers, the real danger is that they will simply lose their content business.
Why write as a slave for GE or CBS when you can write and own part of your content going through another distribution outlet?
As a small example, here's a creative and creepy show done by food star Michael Thomas on youtube.
Seeking to shore up its flagging public image, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers has turned to veteran political advisors from both sides of the aisle to guide its public relations battle with Hollywood's striking writers.
The alliance announced today that it had retained Mark Fabiani and Chris Lehane, who have served as senior aides and advisors to President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore and other Democrats across the country.
Lehane is a longtime Clinton surrogate. The Clinton campaign uses him periodically to put out negative information on Obama, as he did in June when commenting on Tony Rezko, a controversial and corrupt donor to Obama.
Campaign consultant Chris Lehane, who worked in the Clinton White House and for Al Gore in 2000, said it shows voters that Obama "puts his pants on the same way as any other politician" - something that "undermines the core Obama brand, that he is a different kind of leader."
Lehane's a Clinton machine guy. He worked with former Glover Park partner and current Clinton communications director Howard Wolfsen to promote Michael Moore's films, through the Weinstein company that is controlled by major Clinton backer Harvey Weinstein.
Lehane has long been an unofficial surrogate for the campaign when it needs something out into the press. His quotes leave no doubt of that. Here he is on possible electability problems in 2005:
We have to recognize the relationship between global warming and "global warring". Just as dependence on foreign oil has led to wars in the Middle East, allocating an outrageous amount of our budget to the Pentagon facilitates and preserves this dependence on foreign oil. Dennis Kucinich understands this connection and so, as stated above, will slash the Pentagon budget by 15% as his first step to move away from fossil fuels and towards sustainable and renewable fuels and energy sources. As stated above, this money will go to education, as well as creating his Works Green Administration (WGA). The WGA will couple the EPA with NASA to develop new technologies to utilize alternative fuels and energies.
Here's the PR coming from AMPTP boss Nick Counter.
Unfortunately, the theatrics and carefully designed photo opportunities of the last two weeks have obscured the fact that the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers clearly supports writers having a fair share in opportunities presented by digital distribution.
Let me get this straight. Media moguls picked a fight with TV writers. And now they are lamenting the theatrics.
The first two weeks of the strike were, from the studios perspective, about blaming the writers. How did that strategy work?
The PR from the writers, and the anger of fans, is working. Apparently Hollywood, that demon spawn place that is not the real America, has a lot of working writers in it, and working people all over the country get that corporations are being dicks to them by refusing to pay them what they owe.
The WGA message has come out over the internet, and has been amazingly successful.
Dennis Kucinich's approach to the economy is so practical and farsighted, I sometimes wonder why it isn't discussed more; even by Kucinich! But, I guess Iraq is always the dominating issue.
However, amazingly, this plan addresses: balancing the budget, tempering the Pentagon war machine, fair taxation reform, leveling the business sector to enable small businesses to compete, our $800 Billion trade deficit, worker's rights human rights and environmental concerns, the millions of outsourced jobs, and rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure-while at the same time creating more national wealth with millions of jobs, promoting renewable energies and saving families money on bills! It is insanely practical and wholly part of his message of "Strength Through Peace" for America.
This is an entertaining take on local media coverage of the writer's strike.
So, did you hear about the big WGA rally Friday? Unfortunately, if you weren't there, the answer is probably no.
After attending Friday's very inspiring and impressive event two days ago, I sat down at 11 p.m. that night to watch the Channel 4 news. I couldn't wait to see the coverage.
But wait I did.
And wait.
Past the segment about stolen copper causing a street light to be out on a popular bike path.
Then I waited some more.
Past some story about cats brought in to chase rodents at a police station (I'm not kidding). Until about 11:29 when they had -- no joke -- a 15 second snippet.
Yeah, yeah, I know KNBC is owned by one of the companies on the other side of the negotiating table. But come on!
You're telling me when 4,000 people show up in the streets of LA, shut down a main thoroughfare in the city, a laundry list of celebrities are on hand, Jesse Jackson addresses the crowd and the subject is an industry-wide strike some experts say could cost the local economy hundreds of millions of dollars, such an event only warrants 15 seconds at the end of the newscast?
Wow. I mean... wow.
You think if 4,000 striking UAW members took to the streets of Detroit after shutting down the automobile industry, it might make the local news before the high school football scores?
On the positive side, you'll be happy to know the cats are proving to be very successful at catching the rats. I know this because that segment was about four times longer than the one 20 minutes later dealing with a story that could affect the entire economy of Southern California.
In a completely unrelated outpouring of public frustration, betweeen 750-1000 people attended an FCC hearing against local media consolidation in Seattle put on by Chairman Martin with only five days notice.
All labor struggles face similar dynamics, including a hostile press.
