Actor and screen writer strikes

i always find it funny when millionaires and billionaires are caught up in a strike

 

When it comes to labor history and worker strikes we're moving from a simmer to a rolling bowl... And I may not watch TV, but follow Saturday Night Live and Late Night talk shows and the level of empty nothing in that regard due to the strike is really sad.

 

That's the misinforming billionaires version of why they are on strike. The actual truth is that writers are only being paid based on the old broadcasting model of TV and all that new streaming revenue, add revenue from youtube, etc. is money the writers don't get a cut of because they're operating under an outdated CBA.

 

Dang, SNL is still alive? A shame they didn't just end it 20 years ago...

 

Just 2 years to go for its 50 year anniversary... And with a history like that, they're gonna have to some stretches when things ain't so funny, but for the most part they're still super funny the majority of the time. On my bucket list is to binge watch every episode. Though some of the jokes from back in the 70's are so inappropriate these days that they might not even be available.

 

was a big fan back in the eighties, but the little i've watched more recently went over (or under) my head.
but when i look back, what i thought was funny in my 20's no longer is.
same with seinfeld

 

I'd rather hear HAL 9000 rattle on about being "foolproof and incapable of error"..............
Max Headroom was what everyone did at the Frat parties........................did I just say that?

 

But what about cultural references that are significantly less than 40 years old? Is that not allowed?

 

I evaluate items many times from my experience - it is what I know and have learned through life.

I have worked in a Union environment before I worked for Toyota. I belonged to the International Brotherhood of Rubber Workers and the AFL-CIO Teamsters (Lord forgive me).

Every couple of years we would go on strike at contract time and the crooked Union and Company would negotiate what was going to happen.

In the 1980's the US Government actually came in and took over our AFL-CIO Union because of the rampant corruption and its mob involvement.

Fast Forward to going to work at Toyota in a non-union environment- no strikes or work stoppages in 30 years employment - no adversarial management vs union relationship- no union dues-no union stewards-no missed paychecks.

Just from my experience I vastly prefer non union environments.

I still remember back in the 1970's when Ronald Reagan took the Air Controllers Union on and broke it over his knee. Not a single instance since then of Air Controller Problems going off the job. For those who don't remember the Air Controllers walked off the job even though they had taken an oath not to and went on strike. President Reagan immediately fixed the situation and broke the Union in two.

 

The actors have joined the writers. No skin off my back as I don’t watch tv

 

Hi John321,

You and I share a similar experience from the past in working in a Union environment. I suffered financially with each strike. And the $1.50 per hour raise did not make up for the backup of bills that I incurred supporting the strikes. The shop stewards made off like bandits. In fact, two were arrested for embezzlement.

Yeah, this happens (embezzlement) in other environments, but I felt like I was a slave to the union. You had to show up for the union meetings!! The meetings were big barbeques with beer flowing and guys yelling at us to strike against the "corporate monster".

In non union jobs, I got promoted faster, was able to buy a house, took wonderful vacations............for me, it was so much better.

 

We don't either - as well as a lot of others who have kicked the TV habit - thus the problem of people wanting to get paid more in an industry that is slowly dying off.

As a matter of fact there is a station we get it is over the air on our antenna - we have never had cable- it is called ME TV and plays shows like Andy Griffith, I Love Lucy, The Mary Tyler Moore Show etc.. The wife and family will watch when they do want TV this rather than any modern day TV programming.

 

"thus the problem of people wanting to get paid more in an industry that is slowly dying off"

Or not

Television industry - statistics & facts | Statista

 

or so

Fading Ratings: A Special Report on TV's Shrinking Audiences - Variety
"However, also of note is that the proportion of the audience aged 18-49 is declining faster than the overall rate of decline, with primetime viewing of most content increasingly skewing over 50."

TV Viewership Statistics Explored: The Changing Landscape 2023 (techreport.com)

"The popularity of streaming services is causing a decline in traditional TV viewership. In contrast with the streaming market, which is projected to grow in the next few years, the traditional TV market’s CAGR is predicted to be -2.11%, and the market size to drop to $137 billion by 2027. At the same time, the number of US households with pay TV is expected to drop 50% by 2027 from 100 million in 2014."

As bad as the decline in traditional TV is it pales in comparison the the demise of Newspapers and printed media
As newspapers close, struggling communities are hit hardest by the decline in local journalism - Northwestern Now
"The United States continues to lose newspapers at a rate of two per week, further dividing the nation into wealthier, faster growing communities with access to local news, and struggling areas without.

That is the key takeaway in an ongoing report on the state of local news from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications.

Between the pre-pandemic months of late 2019 and the end of May 2022, more than 360 newspapers closed, the report by Medill’s Local News Initiative found. Since 2005, the country has lost more than one-fourth of its newspapers and is on track to lose a third by 2025."

 

Yes. Streaming on the one hand diversifies the marketplace. That may be getting better harnessed by 'producers' (on the money side) than by 'content producers' (on the creative side).

On another hand, nascent AI could deal another blow to content producers, at least they seem to think so.

 

I'm surprised there were so many strikes. You'd have thought these Rubber Workers would be more flexible.

 

I know the union situation in the US is different to other countries.

But is your story necessarily because unions are bad? Could part of it be that Toyota is an exceptionally good employer (from what I've heard in several countries), and that it has a less adversarial relationship with its employees than other companies in the US might have? Could it be that Toyota employees have less of a need for the protection offered by a union?

 

"But is your story necessarily because unions are bad? Could part of it be that Toyota is an exceptionally good employer (from what I've heard in several countries), and that it has a less adversarial relationship with its employees than other companies in the US might have? Could it be that Toyota employees have less of a need for the protection offered by a union?" hkmb

Toyota is an exceptional employer and Company.

While in their employment I had to travel to a number of Unionized and Ununionized plants throughout the Automotive Industry here and in Asia. I also have worked in 3 Unions and been a Union Member in 3 other industries in the US. I am very comfortable that the experiences allow me to make apt general observations of work environments and managerial/employee relationships. I have been fortunate to work my way up in every job I've had and worked both sides of the fence as an hourly Unionized worker and then eventually as a member of the Management/Salaried side of the businesses in the jobs I've worked.

Once again - Balanced opinions and observations are your friend - you are once again outsmarting yourself.

What has been your practical experience with Unions in the Automotive Industry or other Industries in in the US?

I won't reply again as I am familiar with your posting habits and your lack of respect for others.
I have noticed your fascination with my post but unfortunately that is one sided as I have no interest in yours.