The holidays are beginning. Writers are on strike. Productions are shutting down. Thousands are out of work. The talks are stalled.
For writers it doesn't feel as if the talks ever really started.
In any negotiation, it's important to see the other side's point of view, but that hasn't been very easy to do. Rollbacks of benefits. No compensation for re-use. Exclusion from future markets.
Those don't feel like starting points.
We all understand the gamesmanship that goes into negotiations. Theatrics can be expected. But reasonable people try to keep the process under control.
As they walked away from the table, the congloms slammed the door behind them, muttering darkly about unprofessionalism. But during the six weeks of the strike, the AMPTP has not yet presented a fully detailed financial proposal.
Strikes are supposed to have a sense of urgency.
Both sides understand the damage created by a work stoppage. We all know the hardship created by people losing their jobs. The impact of the strike is felt in the city and the state.
This couldn't be a worse time to put added strains on the economy of California.
In the last week, the state has issued a series of reports that project a $14 billion dollar deficit for the next year. Either taxes have to be raised or expenditures will have to be slashed 10-12%. That means less money for schools, health care, and essential public services.
There's never a good time for a strike, but the state is telling us this is a really bad time.
What's needed now is to have the negotiations restart with focus and a determination to end the strike as quickly as possible.
The chant has been heard plenty of times before--"Come back to the table"--but the sense of urgency is greater now than ever before.
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