It was an all time low turnout for The Game writers today. There was a new schedule set by the WGA for all the studios. Two shifts: 6am - 10am then 10am - 2pm. At CBS Radford, the studio where I have been picketing, they broke the day down into three 3 hour shifts: 6am - 9am, 9am - 12pm, 12pm - 3pm. I thought I might be able to make the early shift but then I realized I'd be in the height of traffic on the way home from the Valley. And traffic in that direction if horrible in the morning. I see it when I'm going to work and often think, I'd kill myself if I was stuck in that every day. So I decided I'd do my own thing; 10am - 1pm. Sam, however, got up at 4:45am and rode his bike to his newly assigned studio, Sony. Turns out there were a lot of people we knew at Sony working the early shift. I was envious when I heard because no one from my show, except Sara, showed up at my gate. I guess they figure they've done enough picketing or someone else will do the picketing for them. Erica texted me and told me that her dog walker called in sick so she'd have to do a "double" tomorrow. Yeah, right. Jeni told me she "ditched" at Paramount. That means she went to Paramount, signed in, and then left. Little does she know the WGA is onto her kind, we now have to sign in and sign out with a time attached. Kenya claims he went to another studio although he lives about two minutes away from CBS Radford so I highly doubt he went anywhere but the movies. Joe (who doesn't work with me but is an honorary member of my show's picketing staff) showed up at 1pm with a massive hangover. I was done with my shift and, after complaining to Sam that Joe didn't show up, I took Joe away from the picket line and fed him a beer and some sushi. He was looking like he might throw up, I knew a beer would help and Katsu-Ya (some of the best sushi in LA) is spitting distance from my line. I know stealing picketers doesn't help the eroding lines but Joe was in such a state he would have been worthless anyway. There was no way he could have gotten even a single car to honk this afternoon.
Tomorrow I'm going to Sony for the early shift with Sam. I definitely looking for some inspiration since I'm so disgusted with my co-workers. After that I'm headed to NYC. I will fulfill my picket obligations while in New York. Apparently the WGA East is so small they picket en masse. Thursday they are picketing at the Disney Store on 5th Avenue. It seems kind of weird to me to picket at a store but I'd show up at the Pottery Barn and picket pillow shams if they asked me to -- I'm determined to give the WGA the 20 hours a week they are asking of every member.
As you all know I like to always have a picture to go along with my post. I don't have any pictures from today but I do have this video. It's how I feel on the picket line sometimes. And it's only week two.
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3 comments:
I'm so glad someone else is bringing this up -- the sort of half-assed picketing. I was going to mention it on Writer Action, but then I was afraid I'd come across as naive or something.
I originally thought there'd be no showrunners picketing... they'd just show up on publicity days or something. Yet people insisted showrunners walked. So yesterday I met one -- who walked maybe for 45 minutes. Whatever. It seems like the more "important" you think you are the less time you put into it. Am I naive, bitter, or both?
Anne, I feel your frustration. Please know that Mara has been diligent about showing up. It's other lax attitudes that make me crazy but then I simply went to another studio where people were taking it seriously and I felt better. As Sam said to me: we can't make people feel about it the way we do.
So where's the studio where people actually do the time? Sounds like prison, now, lol.
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