What Do We *Really* Need? A Strike!

[Sad Max]

Transportation Strike Could Shut Down Hollywood

Photo: Mark Ralston/AFP



In what would be the third Hollywood work stoppage in the past three years, the industry’s transportation workers could be going on strike August 1, shutting down most television and film productions in Los Angeles, with the potential to affect sets in other cities as well. The Teamsters are looking for an annual raise of 3 percent instead of 2 percent when their contracts expire at the end of July, a difference representing millions of dollars per year. According to the Hollywood Reporter, there’s a real possibility this will actually happen, as “negotiations appear to be at an impasse" and “sources close to both the union and the producers say neither side will budge.” In other words, cherish the installments of Mad Men coming up since they may be the last new TV episodes you'll see for a long, long time. [HR]


http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/07/transportation_strike_could_sh.html

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Yeah, it's *really* worth doing that kind of damage to the state and the industry in general, over one single percentage point in a down economy. I had forsworn telling teamster jokes but I think now I may have to learn a bunch more, and insulting ones, too...

 

[Charli]

It's just gotten out of hand, the studios. Their lack of paying residuals on online media to actors & writers and now teamsters. Seriously, what is wrong with those people?

 

[groveChuck]

The 3% Solution?

 

[Sad Max]

Charli, Teamsters don't receive residuals. Never have. And they're not after enlarged Plan participation, they're after a straight-up more-money-in-pocket pay raise. And it's not like they aren't already slated for one, they just want it to be bigger. While millions are completely out-of-work and scrabbling for couch-cushion change.

And - from the perspective of an admittedly non-teamster IA member - they should take their 2%, be grateful that it's there at all, and wait to threaten crippling actions until the general economy and business can produce more positive results. In this kind of climate it's just foul to f--- over so many of your crew mates for an additional 1% in your pocket. Not to mention driving even more work out of the LA area, just as state benefits are starting to attract work back again.

For my part this doesn't particularly threaten me - we plan around strikes and can weather one if its comes - but I know for a fact that other IA members will be losing their homes if the teamsters strike to cripple production. If that happens I should think that people in other IA disciplines might come back to work actively looking for ways to make work as a teamster on their shows as...unpleasant...as possible.

And of course that kind of division within the IA is just what the Producers' Guild loves to see. I know this is primarily about teamsters wanting to line their pockets just a little bit fleecier but the other craft unions will remember it down the road, if the teamsters insist upon harming their IA brothers and sisters to do it.

 

[groveChuck]

Bad timing on the Teamsters part...

 

[Mike Harvey]

tSorry, I've been working for over a year and a half without a contract and my hours were whacked in half last year, and these guys are complaining that their raise isn't big enough? Somehow I don't think they're going to get much sympathy.

Yeah, *REALLY* bad timing on their part...

 

[Sad Max]

Of course they figure it's *good* timing in terms of leverage to get what *they* want, and screw everybody else.

Although - not being part of teamsters leadership - I have zero idea what makes them think the timing is good, for them.

 

[Mike Harvey]

Realistically, this strike will have zero effect on me (I'm AFTRA and in another state)... but I can imagine the bad blood it's going to cause down there. It just strikes me as being very, very tone deaf to what else is going on in both the industry and the region (and country) in general.

Like I said, I don't have a lot of sympathy for them.

 

[Blaine]

Looks like this one is over...

Story in The Hollywood Reporter

 

[Matt Gottshalk]

Jeebus, talk about falling out of the "stupid" tree and hitting every branch on the way down.

Bad timing.

 

[Sad Max]

...although I have to back off some of my earlier criticism, since it turns out that the 3% they were seeking was in conformity with the 3% negotiated by their (mwuhahahahaha) arch-rivals in the IATSE...

 

[Charli]

I dunno, while they seem happy the studios seem to win each time, all they have to do is wait out strikes, people lose their jobs, homes, etc. Hard to fight the big guys.