Is the Writer's Strike in Hollywood just gold digging by the WGA?

FALL OUT FROM the Writer's Strike in Hollywood.

Why screenwriters are idiots led by morons, and the WGA is a bastion of dumb asses.

Hollywood writers are demanding more money, and actors are supporting them. What this means to the average person is no new scripted programs for awhile. Which isn't really a problem, since most of the scripted shows on television now are bored retreads of shows you've seen a thousand times before.

The WGA only want's a "fair share" of profits the studios earn from DVD, and internet. Of course, studios want to keep a "fair share" since the one blockbuster profitable film they get a year covers the ninety nine busts they put out. The WGA says there's enough pie for everyone to get a larger slice.

There is a question of fair market here, since most screenwriters get paid a decent wage to write under the current contract. I mean, Wal Mart workers have the right to unionize and demand a better living wage, but the company would suffer since they would raise prices to cover those increased wages. Studios will do the same thing.

The WGA strike is going to cause several problems that short sighted union members are selfishly overlooking: One, studios aren't going to take a cut in their profit to give the increase the WGA is looking for. Instead, studios will raise the price of DVD's and movies, and internet download prices. So the consumer is going to pay two ways. They will suffer through more reality shows (read bad television) and then pay more to rent, buy or view their favorite movies.

Secondly, with the WGA shutting down productions at Studios, it puts thousands of behind the scenes workers on the public dole. Unemployment claims will increase, which will affect the numbers reported, which will affect the falling stock market, which will affect 401K's and consumer confidence.

The Strike has broader implications outside of Hollywood, that will affect Americans who don't even watch television. And for what? So WGA members can get an extra .02 cents per DVD sold? It adds up, but it's ridiculous. The "fair share" these striking creative types want does not take into account the broader financial implications their greed causes.

I don't remember much of my economics class, but I am a big believer in the market. I learned in real estate that a home is worth what someone will pay for it, and not one penny more. You use a comparative market analysis to help guide you, but if you're asking $300,000 for a 2000 square foot home in a neighborhood where homes sell for $200,000, you are not listening to the market.

You can see the same thing at your local grocery store, or department store: They can put a price tag on a leather jacket, and if no one pays for it, that leather jacket isn't worth the price. It applies on a loaf of bread, or can of beans.

But it doesn't seem to apply in the case of unions. The WGA (and other unions) were a necessity at the end of the industrial age but they are anachronisms now. They were designed to protect the worker (or writer) from exploitation, and provide a sense of security for the worker. Otherwise, studios and other big business would use up the worker and get rid of them once the usefulness was done.

Now Unions won't accept a cost of living increase, unless certain financial conditions are met; they look for the long term benefit to the worker (and maybe we should explore how much a business the actual Union is, since they make money off the worker's paying dues). The Unions don't consider fair market value, or market condition. They set the wage, and it's up to the studios to meet it, whether the worker deserves it or not.

I remember when the NBA went on strike ten years ago, one of the superstars mouthing off saying "It's difficult for a young man to live off $220,000 per year. We need more money." The average screenwriter may not make near that much, but the perception is they do, and perception equals value. The public may not support a strike by what they consider to be spoiled creative types who don't do any real work. After all, writing isn't work. (and we agree with that, right?)

Jack Warner made his writers sit in a room and type for eight hours every day, working on stories and scripts. A union was needed to make sure they weren't exploited. Now, a writer sits in on meetings, sits at a coffee shop, and taps out a script sipping a latte. And they want more money to do it.

Except a good screenwriter doesn't really need the WGA, since an agent can command a greater payment with perks for a decent writer. (or even a not so decent writer with good perception.) The WGA exists to support those writers who are barely working, what I call fringe writers. They want to be paid a decent wage (would you consider $75,000 a year decent for writing jokes?) plus insurance benefits, and retirement. And do they deserve it?

It may not be a question of deserving a decent wage. If a salesman wants to make more money, he has no choice but to a: find a sales job that pays more or b: sell more product. With the Unions, they demand an increase based on unrealistic market conditions. If a waitress wants to earn more money, she has to work extra shifts. If a WGA member wants to earn more money, they can seek more writing assignments at WGA set wages, but also earn a residual income off past produced work. They want a bigger slice of those profits.

I guess my question to any writer who takes money from a studio (and I've been one of them) is this: If you're film makes money, and you want some of the profits, would you be willing to give back your payment if the film loses money?

That seems to be a fair market. Line up the WGA members who will sign that agreement and I will picket right beside them. Everybody wins together, everybody loses together. Sounds fair. But so long as the short sighted WGA puts their members on strike and uses threats to bully studios into acquiescing, I can't support them. Especially when going on strike has so many broader economic implications that reach beyond the borders of California.

And while I may not support the WGA's decision to strike, I am very pro writer, pro internet and think this is one of those golden ticket opportunities for many many people to use this time to create new networks, new kinds of series, experimental, fun entertaining projects that will become monetized. So strike on, strike up and strike out WGA. You may have made a decision to put your members out of work permanently.