You know the old adage “some people never change?” That statement also keenly describes the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), because it’s acting just like it did back in the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike in 2008 – and there’s an old David Letterman clip to prove it.
The latest development in the ongoing contentious battle for fair treatment between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the AMPTP involves the news that the latter is willing to wait several months and try to outlast the writers until they have no choice but to acquiesce.
Per Deadline, on unnamed industry veteran said “I think we’re in for a long strike, and they’re going to let it bleed out.” Woof.
The strike is in its 71st day and one producer said the AMPTP doesn’t plan on even meeting with the WGA until late October. The plan, according to another studio exec, is to “break the WGA.”
“The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses,” the exec said. Another said it was a “cruel but necessary evil.” Of course, this isn’t the official line.
An AMPTP spokesperson told Deadline that “These anonymous people are not speaking on behalf of the AMPTP or member companies, who are committed to reaching a deal and getting our industry back to work.” Sure they are.
Even worse, studios are actually saving money during the strike by shuttering some shows and shifting to more reality programming. That’s where we’re at. The thing to remember here is that the studios view writers as just another number on a budget sheet.
The whole purpose of a big studio is to make money. That’s the purpose of any corporation; it drives the whole beast. Those pesky writers asking for fair wages are just another roadblock to that sweet corporate payday, so it’s not surprising. It’s easy to be cold hearted when you’re a corporation.
This brings us to David Letterman, a prescient man who aired a sketch during the 2008 WGA strike. The key aspect here is the idea that the AMPTP actually gives a sh*t about the writers.
The year is different but the issue is the same. “It’s pitting brother against brother,” Letterman says in the clip.
“The big media companies have been criticized for refusing to negotiate,” he said. Sound familiar? Some things don’t change. “Judging by this announcement,” he deadpans, “it seems like the writers are the ones being unreasonable.”
He continues: “All along we thought the enemy was big corporate showbusiness. Based on this announcement, maybe we’re wrong.”
The satirical announcement? The AMPTP doubled their offer to the writers from $0 to $00. Then it was tripled ($000) and quadrupled ($0000), but those stubborn writers just won’t negotiate! Pretty great. Check out the clip below.
By the way, Paul Shaffer singing that that the media is a bunch of “cowards, cutthroats and weasels” is pure joy. Joking aside, this really sucks for people who make their living as writers.
Creators and artists will always be just checkers pieces to big media corporations. This is how things are and how they will always be. I know that’s cynical but take a look around. We’ll keep you posted on this one.