The writers of "Sesame Street" have authorized a strike if they don't reach a contract by tomorrow. Thirty-five WGA members are asking Sesame Workshop for industry standard raises, improvements to residuals and more. Picketing outside the New York City office could start as soon as next Wednesday. "Millions of parents and families around the world are going to have a lot of questions," WGA East President Lisa Takeuchi Cullen said. "They might ask why the bosses at Sesame Workshop are ignoring their company's own messages of kindness and fairness." Variety has the full story.
Update: The "Sesame Street" team reached a deal last Friday to avert a strike. It offers writers minimums for animation and new media programs, paid parental leave, protections against AI and new media residuals. "'S' truly is for Solidarity," the WGA Sesame Workshop Negotiating Committee said in a statement. Here's more from Variety.
“If management fails to reach a deal with their unionized writers, picketing would begin on Wednesday, April 24, outside Sesame Workshop’s offices in New York City.” - Writers Guild of America, East
Original Screenplays: Air, Barbie, The Holdovers, May December, Past Lives. Adapted Screenplays: American Fiction, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Killers of the Flower Moon, Nyad, Oppenheimer.
I'd been a Netflix subscriber since they were only a #DVD delivery service back in the late 90's, and was considering resubscribing, at least for a month or two.
I read the other day that not only are they running a #RickyGervais "special", but yet another #DaveChappelle "special", at least their third in as many years, it seems.
"...The star, whose Eras tour broke box office records and provoked an inquiry into #Ticketmaster's sales practices, follows the likes of Barack #Obama, #GretaThunberg and Volodymyr #Zelensky...
"...Its shortlist... included Xi Jinping, Vladimir #Putin, #Barbie and the striking #Hollywood actors and writers.
Today in Labor History November 25, 1947: The "Hollywood Ten" were blacklisted by Hollywood movie studios for refusing to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). The blacklist lasted for 13 years, when Dalton Trumbo, a former Communist Party, was finally credited as the screenwriter of the films “Exodus” and “Spartacus.” Some of the stars accused of having Communist ties included Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Katharine Hepburn and Fredric March. In 1941, Walt Disney blamed "Communist agitation" for the cartoonists and animators' strike. In 1945, Gerald L. K. Smith, founder of the fascist America First Party, began giving speeches attacking the "alien minded Russian Jews in Hollywood." Ronald Reagan, who was president of the actor’s union, testified before HUAC that a clique within the union was using "communist-like tactics." His first wife, actress Jane Wyman, blamed his allegations against friends and colleagues as a factor leading to their divorce.
I hope one of the lessons from the #WGA, #SAGAFTRA, and #UAW strikes is that strong unions lift the wages and benefits of all labor — union and nonunion.
A rising labor tide lifts all workers’ boats. #UnionStrong
"During the writer's strike this summer—where among other things better wages were high on the list—Disney's CEO Bob Iger called the union's expectations 'just not realistic,' that's the quote. And it landed in Hollywood among the writers with kind of a thud, considering that Iger makes something like 500 times more than the median salary of his own employees." https://www.marketplace.org/2023/10/23/is-ceo-pay-out-of-control/
— #CEOPay#ExecutiveCompensation#Disney#BobIger#WGA
Only just recently discovered the Strike Force Five #podcast, where a few late night hosts got together to raise money for their teams during the #WGA#strike. On one hand, I’m glad the show had a natural end because the strike was resolved. On the other, this seems like something that would have been in regular rotation on my podcast schedule. Highly recommended.
Both Stephen Colbert and John Oliver are back on the air, and I'm happy to see that they both spent time in their first episodes back expressing their full support for the writers on their shows that were on strike.
As opposed to some other shows that tried to circumvent the striking workers, and only gave up when they were called out.
Drew Barrymore is coming back to daytime, but her 3 head writers; Cristina Kinon, Chelsea White and Liz Koe, have declined offers to return! Good on them!