The other shoe has dropped. The DGA concluded their deal with the AMPTP. The congloms will spin their settlement with the DGA as proof that they are willing to close a deal quickly when their negotiating partners are reasonable business people. But we know that's just their high-priced PR consultants speaking. They didn't work out a deal with the WGA because they weren't willing to treat our negotiation seriously. That's all changed now.
The Guild leadership hasn't responded to the DGA deal, because the details of the agreement haven't yet been analyzed, so we'll have to wait before we really know how good or how bad the deal actually is. Regardless, the AMPTP now has to turn its attention to the WGA. They've avoided talking with the Guild in any meaningful way for two months. Now, they have no choice. Ending the strike means addressing our issues.
For the membership this is a crucial moment. Over the past few weeks, the pressures have been building precipitously. The strike has created economic and personal havoc for everyone in the Hollywood community, with terrible repercussions for the entire region. We all want this suffering to end. Within our ranks there are differing opinions about objectives and tactics. Emotions have been churned up.
What's needed now is clear-headed, strategic thinking. We've always known that we are one Guild among many and that, unlike other American corporations, the Hollywood congloms get to speak with one voice, using their superior resources to obstruct our objectives. Structurally, that puts us at an incredible disadvantage. What if all the Hollywood unions were, like the United Auto Workers, negotiating with one voice, picking off the studios, one at a time? What kind of deal would we have then?
In the next stage of the strike, the internal pressures on the membership will be severe. There will be some among us who will say, "Just settle! Take what the directors got and let us get back to work!" Others will go in the opposite direction and reject the DGA deal out of hand.
To engage the corporations, we have to be as strategic and clear-headed as they are. We shouldn't over-estimate our position any more than we should feel helpless. Notwithstanding the contentiousness of some, the membership is still unified and focused on the objectives of the strike. Walking on the picket line last week, there wasn't any question that writers feel a stronger sense of community and purpose than ever before in the history of the Guild. We have to rely on that strength to get us through the last part of the process. We have to remain unified and resolute, no matter what.
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