Why They Strike

Despite being called anti-labor by my opponent for student government vp at UCLA, I do think there are appropriate times to unionize and strike. From what I have read, I support the Writer's Guild's cause- even if it does mean reruns of the Office.

I think there is this misconception that all Hollywood writer's make a lot of money when that is not true. Like so many businesses, the money is distributed unnecessarily unevenly. I understand that executives should be paid more, but after soliciting political contributions from and holding fundraisers at the homes of studio execs, I know that they make obscene amounts of money.

One thing that has made me smile about this whole situation is watching the actors join in solidarity with the writers. I was never a huge Jay Leno fan, but I found a new appreciation for the man after I saw him bring donuts for the strikers and saying that he is on the writer's side because he would not be funny without them. I was happy to see so many actors out there or not crossing the picket line because they know that they are nothing without the writers. Steve Carell, John Stamos, America Ferrera, Julianne Moore, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the ER/Grey's/Scrubs casts (must be a doctor thing), and more. They have all earned points in my book.

Finally, I was actually surprised about how many people did not know that the strike was going on. I guess being from California and reading the Los Angeles Times daily makes me more attune to these issues. Here is a good summary video of what the Writer's Guild wants (thanks for the link Aaron).