by Vincent Mosco
The strike of the Writers Guild of
America captured a lot of attention because it deprived millions of their
favorite television programs. But the issues it raised will persist long after
people comfortably settle into new episodes of CSI. Here are some observations
to consider.
The strike demonstrated the
importance of new media for old media industries and especially for their
workers. After all, a central issue in the strike was the distribution of
revenues from new media uses of traditional television programming. What, if
any, compensation should writers receive for work that is increasingly
repackaged for the digital world, especially the internet? With the producers
proposing to end the system of residuals and develop new forms of compensation,
and the writers determined to press for expanded residual payments, it came as
no surprise that the WGA took to the picket line on November 1, 2007. The
strike, which lasted three months and cost Hollywood an estimated $2.5 billion,
was resolved with a deal that promised writers a stronger foothold in the
online world. In the first two years of the three-year contract, writers
would get a maximum flat fee of about $1,200 for programs streamed online. In
the third year, however, they would receive two percent of a distributor’s
gross, a key union demand. Other provisions include increased residual payments
for downloaded movies and TV programs.
No one is
sure what the size of the revenue stream will be from streaming and
downloading, but it should be clear to anyone familiar with research on labor,
especially in the communication industry, Hollywood workers would benefit from
greater solidarity among its many unions. With separate unions representing
directors, writers, actors and technicians, it is difficult for them to speak
with one voice against increasingly integrated media conglomerates that
dominate both old and new media. The Communication Workers of America which
represents journalists, telephone workers, media technicians, and high tech
workers has benefited from solidarity. But attempts to bring together the
Hollywood unions have failed, often on very close votes. There are many reasons
for this but a narrow craft consciousness and a guild, rather than a union,
culture have been especially difficult to overcome. In essence, they have
failed to match technological and industry convergence with the labor
convergence that would provide Hollywood workers with the resources to defend
their interests.
Finally, as
a communication scholar, it was disappointing to observe how few researchers in
the field commented on the strike to offer the historical background and
context for the events. Academics, especially those working on the issues
swirling around new media and the internet, need to spend more time on the
labor dimension. It is not enough to ask: What will be next new thing? We also
need to ask whether media workers of the world will unite.
Vincent Mosco is professor of sociology and Canada Research Chair in Communication and Society at Queen's University and co-author with Catherine McKercher of Knowledge Workers in the Information Society.
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