Hollywood's Writers' Strike

[Disneyphile]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one, Disneyphile.

Most certainly.

And beating the crap out of scabs is an important part of the process.

"Scabs" are just people trying to make a living too.

[innerSpaceman]

If they are willing to take the commonly-known risk to bodily harm (at worst) and severe harassment (at best), all the more power to 'em.


But it can't simply be risk-free for anyone to try and replace a striking worker. That would undermine the strike, and - for the sake of ALL workers everywhere - cannot be allowed.

[NirvanaMan]

Originally Posted by Disneyphile

"Scabs" are just people trying to make a living too.

Agree. That is what capitalism is all about. I would never knock someone for attempting to capitalize on the greed and/or stupidity of others.

[Morrigoon]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

If they are willing to take the commonly-known risk to bodily harm (at worst) and severe harassment (at best), all the more power to 'em.


But it can't simply be risk-free for anyone to try and replace a striking worker. That would undermine the strike, and - for the sake of ALL workers everywhere - cannot be allowed.

What do you mean, cannot? In a truly capitalist system, it can. And if there are people around to gladly take their jobs, then they weren't bargaining from a position of strength to begin with.

[innerSpaceman]

Um, there are ALWAYS people willing to take any job for less money. That rush to the bottom will leave ALL of us STARVING.


Sure, they can try to cross my picket line. They'll find a heavy sign embedded in their skull.


I can make myself no clearer.


But, yeah, that's part of capitalism, too.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

I'll also have to agree with iSm here - and I also want to note that the writers are striking for their union, but since they're the first to negotiate contracts and challenge the miserable state of affairs, they're not just striking for themselves, but for all of the other industry unions. If they cave now, then the DGA, and the SAG, and all of the other unions, will have trouble fighting. If the WGA keeps holding on, then all of the people who are currently out of work may have an easier time getting a fairer contract.

And there's no doubt about it - the non-union writers aren't treated fairly in the industry. Ask the reality writers; they're underpaid terribly and they don't have any way to fight the system. The writers who are scabbing are being underpaid, too.

[NirvanaMan]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Sure, they can try to cross my picket line. They'll find a heavy sign embedded in their skull.


I can make myself no clearer.

Murder is a crime. Working is not. At least not in America.

Capitalism does not give one the right to murder, maim or otherwise harm those with whom you disagree. But alas, this is a shining example of the union mentality that I saw first hand crippling the automotive industry in this country.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Um, there are ALWAYS people willing to take any job for less money. That rush to the bottom will leave ALL of us STARVING.

With unskilled labor, perhaps. But not so much with skilled labor. There will always be someone willing to write TV shows for less money than the people who are currently doing it. However, at some point the studios will not be able to find anybody capable of writing TV shows for the money they're offering. And then they'll increase their offer.

That's how the jobs got to be reasonably high paying in the first place. That's why I'm really not a big fan of unions for skilled workers (for unskilled or minimally skilled labor I still see an important role) and is why I essentially said "**** off" the one time I worked somewhere that had talk of organizing project managers (I'm perfectly comfortable negotiating my own wages/benefits/employment on my own efforts and merits).

But, like I said, Hollywood as an entity decided guild unions were the way to go, so this is how the game gets played. If you create a secondary business dependent on the participation of the guild unions, strikes like these have to be part of your business plan as sucky as it may be.

[NirvanaMan]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Um, there are ALWAYS people willing to take any job for less money. That rush to the bottom will leave ALL of us STARVING.

Sure. But they won't get the gig unless they are just as good as those currently employed who are making more money. If you excel at what you do, regardless of the industry, then you can command a price premium in the market. That is the beauty of capitalism. All things generally have a way of sorting themselves out in the free market, including employment.

If there are a slew or writers that are just as good and can earn for their corporation a similar amount of revenue for less compensation, that means that the current staff is overpaid. If not, then said employer will be forced to pay more for more experience or more talent.
Not everything needs to be regulated.

I'm not sure what experience you have in hiring individuals, but if you have any then I am sure you have experienced this first hand. Personally speaking, there are lots of people willing to take a job I have in my department for a lot less money than I am expecting to pay. However, I need talented and experienced people working for me, therefore, I need to budget enough to pay for it. I can't expect to get someone with uber skills and 15 years experience in the industry and pay them the going rate of someone fresh out of college. Wise talented people already understand this and exploit it to their benefit. People are not commodities. They should not be treated as such.

The value of the unions at the dawn of the industrial revolution clearly cannot be understated. However, their worth and power in todays business environment is of significant concern and should be reevaluated. Not to say they should all be abolished (though I would dance a happy dance if that were to happen) but perhaps they have become to powerful and too demanding for their own good.

In closing, you will only be STARVING if you suck at what you do or are lazy. So long as you are hard-working, talented, and your skill set is deemed to have value to an employer then you will continue to be well compensated. In fact, you will almost always be worth more to an alternative employer than your current one, within reason.

Fear not.

[Strangler Lewis]

Originally Posted by NirvanaMan

That is the beauty of capitalism. All things generally have a way of sorting themselves out in the free market, including employment.

If the market were entirely free, there'd be no need for antitrust laws. The government may not care, but price fixing is alive and well.

And now, Steinbeck:

"And the migrants streamed in on the highways and their hunger was in their eyes, and their need was in their eyes . . .. When there was work for a man, 10 men fought for it -- fought with a low wage. If that fella'll work for 30 cents, I'll work for 25.

"If he'll take 25, I'll do it for 20.

"No, me, I'm hungry. I'll work for 15. I'll work for food."

Perhaps not entirely apt when the subject is Hollywood writers, but I always liked it.

Oh, and on the violence subject, strikers have endured no end of violence at the hands of the owners. Don't make me start singing "Joe Hill."