Strike's first big casualty: 'The Office'

The Writers Guild strike has scored a key prime-time victory: NBC's "The Office" has shut down production because lead actor Steve Carell, who also writes for the highly improvised show, has refused to cross the picket line.  NBC shot scenes that did not involve Carell in the last two days, but has given up because Dunder-Mifflin just ain't the same without Michael at its helm.

-- Maria Elena Fernandez

Comments

[John Fox]

Go Steve Carell! I couldn't be prouder of him for sticking up for the unions and supporting writers who are getting ripped off by the producers. Thank God someone has principal in Hollywood.

[VDOVault]

From the http://AMPTP.org website --

"According to WGAw, 4,434 of its working film and television members earned a combined $905.8 million in 2006. The average member earned $204,295 and over half earned at least $104,750. The WGA noted that these numbers are based on earnings reported for dues purposes and thus do not fully reflect above-scale payments. According to studies, workers in the media business earned on average just under $70,000 per year and the average Angeleno earned just over $46,000."

Hahahaha...these are the same people who tell artists in no way shape or form can they afford to cough up another 4 cents on a $20.00 DVD sold in the USA and yet they boast to their shareholders about the hundreds of millions of dollars they are making for them. There's something pretty screwy with the way they do the math even if they are supposedly quoting WGA numbers (and notice that they have been selectively chosen and disclaimed in a way that only one who works in the industry would understand)

Oh and the reason why a lot of the prominent writers are 'rich'? It's because they have *producer credits* and get paid extra for *production*, you know the second *P* in AMPTP? If you subtract out the production monies, the showrunners look a heck of a lot poorer and like a lot of the rank and file not famous writers. It's why writers fantasize about getting meaningful production credits...so they too can earn real bucks

Why don't we start looking at the salaries of the suits in production (and especially those who are at the very top of the 7 major media companies) before we start discussing who is really rich and who isn't. That 'average member' and his $200K a year in no way could afford to live in the neighborhood of the producers whose stock options and perks plus salary would make $200K just enough to afford a luxurious cardboard refrigerator box in the 'lucky 7s' neighborhood. These guys are not only screwing the talent, they're screwing the shareholders.

I say go get 'em Steve...these guys need to be taken down a peg or two

[Tom]

Wow...what kind of moron picks a text-based fight with a professional writer (or group of writers)?

Good going Todd!

Oh...and I do want some fries with that.

[Kim]

Natalie,

Nope, I don't get all my info from one website. I am curious though, is your husband a member of the WGA? Based on your original post, it wasn't hard to research on another website, and it seems that he might be.

That would possibly color your thoughts on this situation, no?

[Cara]

Casualties - Let's talk about the people that are NOT making money! My husband is losing his job on one of the TOP 5 TV Shows. He is the sole support of our 7 person family! He busts his butt on set and yes he makes $100K a year - He doesn't get residuals for his work!

The writers need to stop crying! Get back to work - you are paid very well to produce a product - which in my own opinion is often mediocre at best - thus the decline in your viewing audience! You are costing people their HOMES, CARS, and RUINING Financial Lives of Millions of employees that aren't even involved in your petty issues!!!! Get over it!

[Todd]

Whatever Tom. Have you checked the ratings recently for network TV for the last x number of years? It doesn't seem as though people are really tuning into the product you're turning out these days anyway as they used to. Take away fresh product, and it'll only further decrease the consumption. More and more people are going to the net and video games every day for their entertainment.

I'm not against writers making a fair wage. I just think its stupid that in this day and age the way to do it is via unions. If you don't like what you're paid, go elsewhere. And according to the WGA, over half earned at least $104,750 a year. Maybe that's chump change compared to the big name suits, but hey, what I'm paid in my company compared to the CEO is peanuts as well.

I still think that Carrell and other actors who refuse to work should be penalized to the furthest extent of their contracts. A contract is a contract and if its broken, the studios have every right to demand reparations. Is it good policy to smack your golden goose? Maybe not, but maybe it would also show people that they need to live up to their side of the bargain.

And yes, I will quit watching the Office.. permanently.

[Diana]

Todd,

I'm not sure where you're telling writers to go. Writers are re-negotiating a part of their contract as a union.

Writers are trying to get more residuals from DVD sales and new media. Let's say that they tried "going elsewhere" as you suggest. Wait...where are they suppose to go? It's not like an author, who can negotiate a contract/pay/residuals for every book (or set of books) written. And if the author does not like the deal, they can go to a different publisher to try to get a better deal.

If you want screenwriters to go somewhere else to get paid better without unions, then you need the AMPTP to disband so that writers can negotiate with each company separately, but do you actually think they will? AMPTP is a monopoly in the tv/film industry, and they currently hold all the cards.

Cara,

Every strike effects people that are not involved in the situation, but you're very wrong to think that the issues are petty. Think of it this way. If music artists were only given 4 cents per CD sold and NOTHING from mp3 downloads, would you think it's unfair for them to object? Given that CD sales have declined greatly since the invention of mp3 players, if this were to stay in place, do you think that it'd be fair to the artists? Or to take it one step further, what if artists were only given 4 cents for every record sold and nothing for CDs or cassette tapes sold? Is it reasonable for them to be upset about this? You may still think that music artists get paid too much, but it's not about how much they make as a base. It's about people getting paid fairly.

[Courtney]

You know, regardless of how much the writers make now, it's the principal of the thing that they are compensated fairly for their work. I hope the big studios will realize their mistake and that The Office will be back. In the meantime...well...I'm glad I have all the DVD's.

[Paul Brownsey]

"Unions are an outdated way of getting a fair wage. If you're not paid what you're worth, go elsewhere."

No, they're not outdated. They are an important way of protecting people from having their lives mucked up by the rich. As for going elsewhere, (1) there may be nowhere else to go, and (2) it's not clear to me why the world's work has to be done in such a way that the rich are in a position to dictate, "Do what I say or you don't get a living."