WGA-ATA Weekly Report

by Larry Brody

To me, the most interesting development in a week loaded with what I think of as Pseudo (or Non-) Developments is that we now have reached the stage where showbiz news sources are playing the “The writers haven’t won so they must be losing” card.

To put it another way, what I’m seeing is a lot of coverage of imaginary “thoughts behind what isn’t happening” presented as news and, still, a total refusal to accept the simple fact that the Writers Guild of America, as a labor union made up of real live women and men who make their livings writing TV and films, has every right to set up standards of business conduct for companies that want to be the business representatives of its members, and inherent in those standards is a belief that, “If you want to be our agents, you shouldn’t also be making yourselves our employers.”

ITPTTPS – It’s The Packaging That’s the Problem, Stupid.

Hmm, I like that acronym. It looks the way Bloom County’s character Bill the Cat Sounds.

Here’s an interesting overview of what the ruckus is all about:

https://nofilmschool.com/writers-agents-still-fighting

Here’s how David Goodman, President of WGAW, explained the situation June 19th:

https://www.wga.org/members/membership-information/agency-agreement/video-updates/agency-campaign-update-text

Here’s some of last week’s most interesting “news” coverage of said ruckus and theWGAW point of view. Interesting to me because it is in a great part biased against writers:

Will WGA Election Become Vote Of Confidence In Guild’s Leadership Over Agency Campaign Strategy?

Phyllis Nagy Responds To David Young’s Scribes’ Petition Reply, Suggests Membership Vote On WGA’s Course Of Action – 2nd Update

WGA Rejects ATA’s Latest Offer, Proposes Negotiations With Individual Agencies

WGA Suit Against Big 4 Talent Agencies Gets A New Venue And A New Judge — The Fourth In the “Complex” Case

WGA Suit Against Big 4 Talent Agencies Gets A New Venue And A New Judge — The Fourth In the “Complex” Case

ATA Says WGA “Is Not Interested In Making A Deal” As Standoff Continues

What a world!

In Solidarity,

LB