OK, slight exaggeration in the title of this blog post... but it has been very interesting to peruse the various websites that have been providing information (slanted or otherwise) on the strike for lo, these past several months. It's resembled - quite understandably, all things considered - a veritable feeding frenzy over the last few days, with a tentative deal first announced to be "in the works," and then finally (as of the wee hours this morning) revealed for all to see. Everyone and their mother-in-law has been weighing in with their opinions of the deal details, with a reasonably even split between those who espouse that what's proposed is the best that the WGA could reasonably expect to get from the greedy and evil AMPTP, and those who are firmly convinced that accepting these terms will essentially mean that the three+ months of walking the picket lines will have accomplished nothing if this is all they get out of it. In other words, the reactions are pretty much in line with the way most work stoppages seem to end!
The single most surprising element of the tentative deal, for me, was the proposed length: it would be in effect only through May 2011! You mean to tell me that, even if the proposal is ratified and the writers go back to work next week, we may get to do this all over again in just three short years?! Wow, that's depressing. On the other hand, the brevity of the deal's duration may help sell some striking workers on it, if they perceive that three years of gathering additional data on how video streaming does - or doesn't! - produce revenue might put them in a better position to bargain for superior compensation before this proposed contract expires. Or not, of course.
Anyway, I'm hoping that they settle, because I think they'll have improved their position somewhat and also have built a foundation for the future. Or maybe I'm just selfishly hoping for more new episodes of Lost, sooner!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment