Strike!...and make new friends?

“It’s a drastic labor action in which people make serious personal sacrifices. If we strike, some people will stop working and never work again.”

Well, Kim Hoffman will continue to work and collect a check during the strike. Plus, she’ll totally get to hang out with lots of totally awesome famous writer people, so imagine the stories she’ll have to tell! OMG! Strikes are so exciting!

These are the people leading us into a strike. People who don’t see any action if we make a deal.

Embarrassing.

I was at an outreach and it was a pathetic pro-strike cheerleading affair. Three times, the hired organizer, maybe it was Kim Hoffman - she had been with the guild for one whole year! and knew nothing of any issue affecting writers - solicited us to fill out colorful forms to be strike captains. She gave an insulting canned speech that talked down to members as if they were four year olds in search of direction. I sat silently in back throughout and resolved never to go back, never to get involved. It was a condescending, uninformed and amateurish event all the way around. Then we all got that bullshit email.

Picket-Contract Captain Orientation, can you study up for a doctorate/masters or is this a grad school only thing?

I dunno, but your last two posts seem to point out a more solid reason for the lack of merger-mania in the East than your Mona’s Mind-Meld theory. Maybe it’s about checks and balances.

Doesn’t this kinda thing lead to Tupperware™ parties?

Dan:

I think leadership in the East is pretty much in lockstep with leadership in the West on this sort of stuff right now.

Hey, folks, trench warfare is a great way to make lifelong friends, and just think of the stories!!!!

Hey, if it weren’t for trench warfare, there’d have been no Lord of the Rings. ;)

Is it wrong that I’m almost as disturbed by the incorrect use of “anymore” in the first sentence as by the content of the message? We’re professional writers for fuck’s sake… how about you learn how to write basic English before lecturing us on major career decisions?

Dear Craig,

Idiocy of this sort is pretty much indefensible, so let me try.

The only job that is possibly worse than working a sex sting in a Minneapolis airport restroom is getting people to volunteer for guild service, so I tend to cut the Guild staff a little slack here. The nuts and bolts of anything is never pretty; and I’d hate to hear what i told people to convince them to run for Guild office: “Oh, you can’t believe how exciting it is.”

I don’t know why I’m defending this because it is pretty stupid— the equivalent of happy faces over ‘i’s. I just hate to see you clobber the slow-moving ones when you’re doing such a good job chasing the fast ones.

—Robert King

I tripped on “anymore”, too. I’m also pretty sure I’ve been guilty of worse, I’m afraid, but I’d make damn sure of properly writing an email meant for working writers.

I also have to agree that Kim Hoffman’s tone really trivializes [the possibility of] the strike and is completely inappropriate for the situation.

Dear Craig,

Sorry, but I think you’re being too hard on both Kim Hoffman and the WGAw. We do need strike/picket captains already in place in case of a labor action. While Ms. Hoffman’s email sounded more like a pitch for Outward Bound than a serious request for serious volunteers I think it’s excusable. The serious requests already went out and garnered not nearly enough response.

I would suggest that all WGAw members who read your blog sign up to be picket/strike captains. It’s a necessity at this time; call the Internal Organizing Department.

And “WGA MEMBER” — to belittle the request because of Ms. Hoffman’s literary brain fart is, uh, what to you call it, Craig? An ad hominem argument? (Now where have we heard that term before?) If someone wanted to belittle many of the Guild posters here because of slipshod English usage they wouldn’t have to look far.

Bad argument, my fellow “WGA MEMEBER”…

Just piggybacking on Robert’s and Clifford’s posts:

The staff executes and administers policy set by the Board of Directors. Given this e-mail and the latest issue of Written by alone, it’s obvious that the Board’s current communication policy on this year’s negotiations is, Strikes Create Memories We Will Treasure for a Lifetime.

And, although a kind of back-handed defense of the current leadership, the fact is, the majority of members voted for WritersUnited to engineer exactly the scenario we’re now in:

Massive rollbacks on the table, an opponent sitting across from us that has no reason or incentive to negotiate with us beyond “take it or leave it,” and facing a long-term work stoppage as necessary to simply defend the rights we’ve previously won, never mind making any gains.

Having been able to check that one off as “Mission: Accomplished,” leadership now faces the task of bringing together the workers who will make up the ground element in that stoppage. WIth the exception of their election and the ANTM strike/Unity Rally, neither the leadership nor staff have much experience in mobilizing the Guild membership — and, of course, none of those required much sacrifice from the membership proper (the ANTM workers sacrificed, no question). Remember, too, a lot of the staffers are fairly new to the Guild

So that there’s going to be a bit of a learning curve in communicating with the membership on this issue is understandable.

• Ted

Robert:

Sure, this one was a fish in a barrel, but something tells me we won’t be seeing any more emails like that one.

Clifford:

If the Guild is having trouble convincing members to be strike captains, then the problem they have is bigger than “what tone should we use for an email?” There’s little to no chance that this tone is going to do the trick. How about sitting back and asking, “Why are people not interested in stepping up?”

And then either solving that problem…or coming to grips with the cause of it and perhaps changing the prevailing philosophy that led to it.

Since I agree with everything you’re saying, can I just mail my blank ballot to you and have you fill it out?

Dear Craig,

You wrote: “How about sitting back and asking, “Why are people not interested in stepping up?”

And then either solving that problem…or coming to grips with the cause of it and perhaps changing the prevailing philosophy that led to it.”

You as well as anyone knows that only between 10%-20% of Guild members EVER get involved in WGAw business, including voting. (That’s one reason I’ve always promoted the idea of mandatory voting in Guild elections — but that’s another discussion.) I think it a bit much to throw that historical fact into the laps of the Staff, and the present leadership, and say “Solve it.” Ain’t gonna happen. Or, as you might say: “Ain’t. Gonna. Happen.”

I spoke to several members at Candidates Night about signing up to be picket captains and, unless they were bullshitting me, to a person they figured that the Guild already had enough people. When informed that wasn’t the case, they all said they’d be calling to volunteer.

Apathy is systemic in our union and, when you mix it w/ fear of what the future holds, people freeze. No email style will counter that.

Best,

C…

Damn, that was me above; forgot to fill out the name bit. I don’t like being “anonymous” about anything.

C…

I’m not addressing the tone or message of Ms. Hoffman’s email. I will say, however, that anyone who represents writers in any way should know how to use any more or others aren’t going to take writers seriously anymore. There’s a time and a place for everything, including bad grammar and spelling. Unfortunately, written letters to writers, for writers or about writers don’t fit into the time or the place.

Susan

Dear Ted,

You wrote: “WIth the exception of their election and the ANTM strike/Unity Rally, neither the leadership nor staff have much experience in mobilizing the Guild membership…”

If I have any beef with Writers United it’s that they haven’t bothered to utilize the same tactics to mobilize the membership that they used to get elected. Never before was a slate more savvy in using open houses, mass meetings, their own high profiles, friendships and near-constant phone trees to get their message out and themselves in charge.

I don’t know if WU hired onto the Guild Staff the professional campaign adviser they used to run their first election but I would strongly advise they do just that. It was a well oiled machine and amazingly successful. We need that kind of organization now for the benefit of the union and not just for the benefit of election politics.

Then again, maybe we’re all squawking simply because we don’t know the game plan and these tactics which put Patric, et al, in power are right around the corner.

Best,

Clifford

The condescension with which WU was treating the members at the outreaches is offensive. I watched the disdain and dismissive toward informed members with real questions and how they embraced the ignorant and the green who simply want to know what happens to their health insurance while they wear a red shirt. The letter is more of this. Kim Hoffman was even less impressive in person.

Craigery,

what do you think the guild leaders should be telling us?

would it help to tell writers how long they’re gonna have to strike for it to possibly make a difference, or would that freak people out too much?

I think leaders should be invoking duty and responsibility and the need for all of us to stand together as one.

If that doesn’t work, then it means the membership feels a disconnect with the call.

And if that’s the case, then we need new leadership.

Blowing sunshine up everyone’s ass certainly isn’t an option.

A couple of points about strike preparation.

First, with a contract termination date of October 31, and negotiations not even happening at the moment, it would be negligent not to get the infrastructure of a strike in place. It’s just something you do as a union. Not doing sends a signal that you will either concede, or take care of requisite tasks very sloppily. So the fact that the Guild has been asking people to be picket captains isn’t new and isn’t news. The anomaly would be that, at this date, if it didn’t.

The second point, which I’ve made on Writer Action, is about how long it would take for a strike to be effective. There are a couple of answers - one is a very long time, and the other is a very very long goddam time. The media companies pockets are very deep, and they have revenues from more sources than they did in 1988. So unless a bunch of scab capitalists are ready to move into the movie/TV/DVD/download business to replace AMPTP, odds are the companies can hold out a long time until the financial community tells them to make a deal.

Meanwhile, we keep hearing we could “shut the town down” if we go out along with SAG. SAG struck in 1980 over cable residuals and videocassettes, and didn’t do that well. But the town did shut down. The studios laid off everyone except writers preparing TV series, executives, and studio guards. That was it. The studios saved an enormous amount in wages and salaries, and had money coming in from shows in theaters or ready to air, and even saved money by turning off the air conditioning in all but a few buildings.

Result of the SAG strike - a couple of quarters of super-profits for the studios. That was 1980, a three network universe and VHS had just beat out Betamax as tape of choice. Odds are the big media companies can survive a year on what they’ve got in inventory with us and SAG out.

That said, there is a way to use picket lines to make a strike more costly to AMPTP from Day One, but I don’t know if we can raise the costs to them of us being on strike soon enough.

I’ve no prediction about a strike; I don’t consider WU to anything near as effectively militant than they want to be, nor do I believe they can force a strike. If AMPTP wants a strike it will happen. Otherwise, they’ll pull the “residuals based on profit” off the table, let us think we won a point, and give us some small incremental gain the Negotiating Committee and WU can sell the membership, and nibble away something in the fine print.

Me, I want to be the last person called on the strike phone tree, and I’ll picket when called, looking for my old friends. Look for the black hat with the silver band. It’s based on the one John Wayne wore in Red River. David Weiss asked where to get one like it on Candidates’ Night.

Actually, Kim Hoffman was right about one thing - you do pick up some stories by being on strike. But then, if you have any kind of life you pick up stories.

Just for the sake of a non-scientific sample, if Craig doesn’t mind me asking, how many writers here have been on WGAw strikes?

How many on any kind of picket line, either as a member of a striking union or a supporter?

Let the strike dick-measuring begin.

Nice to see some of the Writer Action regulars over here. Especially the those who have made apologizing for the guild an art form, if not an occupation.

The guild is asking for strike captains because they’ve got their head up their asses and they’ve marched us to a cliff, and now they need their storm troopers to help you march over it.

The AMPTP is playing the very game of hard ball that the Verone/Young WU slate demanded and set us up for. Now WU smells defeat and is crying for help. And when their aggressive tactics produce the toilet paper deal they will end up with, they will blame all those who spoke out against them. But the truth is, this is the strike they wanted in 2001…this is their petty payback for 1988.

But don’t worry…I’m sure the usual people will be posting back here and there again, apologizing again for the piss poor job they did, but blaming everyone else.

ps…I was a picket captain in ‘88 for five + months. That was then. This is now. Check out your rights to go fi-core.

Kim Hoffman wants

YOU!

Grandpa, tell me about the strike of aught seven again. Is that how you got your peg leg?

Question for our WGA Leaders:

Why are we gearing up for a strike in June and not November? The studios are EXPECTING a shut-down in June. They’re PLANNING for it, and we’re all busting our asses HELPING them to get all their movies and tv shows done before then.

I don’t want to have to strike, but if it’s inevitable, shouldn’t we be doing it when they aren’t prepared for it, giving us more negotiating power?

Or are we as stupid as I think we are?

I think we are.

Working WGA Member wrote: “….The studios are EXPECTING a shut-down in June. They’re PLANNING for it, and we’re all busting our asses HELPING them to get all their movies and tv shows done before then….”

A union is always in a double bind when looking at a work stoppage in the future. Yes, union members are helping them get product ready to market when a strike is called. However, the money union members earn will help the workers make it through a strike, and build the union’s dues and strike fund. The union can’t really ask individual members to give up income while urging everyone to save up for a strike.

The “wait till June” scenario really isn’t a winner, because it’s predicated on shutting production down. As I’ve said elsewhere, and since 1980, the studios going dark means a period of super-profit for the studios, as they save on salaries, wages, and even utilities.

“Why are we gearing up for a strike in June and not November? The studios are EXPECTING a shut-down in June. They’re PLANNING for it, and we’re all busting our asses HELPING them to get all their movies and tv shows done before then.”

This last part is what I find interesting, esp. as a non-WGA writer. I know A-list writers are trying to nail down as many contracts as possible before the strike. I’m sure other working writers are as well. So…all those millionaire writers will still have plenty of money to count while the strike is going on. Good for them. And the working writers who can get gigs will hopefully have enough money to tide them over. Good for them. And the studios and production companies will have plenty of scripts to make movies and television shows while the strike is going on. Good for them??? How long will it take for them to feel the pinch? And how is the strike going to change anything for the WGA members who haven’t had paying gigs or won’t in the short time before the strike or the time during the strike? How will their lives change if the strike is a success or failure? I’m not sure why anyone is surprised by voter/member apathy when the vast majority of members are likely going to be more harmed than helped by the strike. I know, I’m not a member, have little knowledge of how this stuff all works and shouldn’t be questioning any of it anyway.

Susan

We could go out on strike November 1 and screw up the studios’ strike planning - which is geared toward SAG - by interrupting the completion of the television season, putting a stop to the writing and rewriting of all those films intended to start filming before March.

Or we can work through the contract, and help them have tons of product in the can to last a long labor stoppage. The rank and file won’t be working from November through March anyway, only those on series and A-listers polishing films for production.

But all indications appear that the WGA would rather play water carrier and please SAG in spring. In the strange hope that they’ll stand by us, rather than take a studio deal that satisfies their product placement/tie-in demands and leave us hanging.

If AMPTP wants a strike it will happen. Otherwise, they’ll pull the “residuals based on profit” off the table, let us think we won a point, and give us some small incremental gain the Negotiating Committee and WU can sell the membership, and nibble away something in the fine print.

Art —

It’s not fine print, and its definitly not nibbles. Although the Guild has not made mention of this, the AMPTP’s proposal decimates MBA Article 16: Separated Rights, in both theatrical and television. It allows Companies to credit any and all overscale compensation against any payments due to writers under the MBA. It eliminates the “additional payment, no assigned material” payment entirely (in other words, no more payments for an original story unless its commissioned or acquired as a discrete piece of literary material). It establishes that, although literary material written for New Media (direct-to-digitial-download, webisodes, mobisodes, etc) would be under Guild jurisdiction, all compensatory terms, including credit determination and H&P contributions, would be negotiated between the Company and the individual writer. It also puts in plain English that the Company has the right to determine that any use of the motion picture, in part or in full, without limitation, constitues “promotional use,” for which no additional payments are made (that one is a real trojan horse, because if they get that one through, it could render any residual formula null).

That’s just a partial list of the rollbacks on the table, but I think that’s enough to establish that this negotiation has become about a lot more than just internet residuals or jurisdiction over reality television. And, of course, there’s a number of things in there that are specific to our MBA only — no equivalents in the DGA or SAG agreements, so no relying on pattern bargaining to preserve them.

• Ted

P.S. Even though this is how the AMPTP, the press and even a lot of Guild members are referring to it, “Residuals based on profit” or “Profit Participation” is not really an accurate summation of the AMPTP’s proposal. For one thing, it would not count revenue generated by the publication rights in movies or tv episdoes (ie, DVDs, internet downloads, etc) toward profitability (and the press wonders why we wouldn’t trust studio accounting? Sheesh). For another, as mentioned above, it would also count any overscale compensation against any residual payments (as well as any other payments other than initial compensation).

P.P.S. Almost forgot to mention, I was a member in ‘88, walked the picket lines, went to the meetings at the Paladium. I was pretty new to the union, so that was the limit of my experience.

-

Ted -

Thanks for stating all that. It’s big time, and membership needs to be made aware of that. If you’ve the inclination, send a letter to the editor of “Written By” and consider some sort of at-meeting flyer to the membership at the first of the meetings at which the Negotiating Committee reports to us.

Of course, if we had a union run on-line message board, as we did in 1988….

Oh, and my strike experience - Picket captain at Fox in 1973, dodging golf balls hit at us by codgers across Pico at Hillcrest. Picket captain/strike committee 1981 strike. Picket/captain hq volunteer 1985 strike Strike Committee/Minister of Silly Walks (special picket-informational team) 1988 strike. Photo in L.A. times stopping truck at Fox, location picketing of Beaches and Naked Gun, asked by Los Angeles Police Department, at request of CBS security employees, to use “less threatening body language” when approaching trucks at CBS Television City picket lines.

The editor of “Written By” is probably a strike captain and the guy who lights the torches. That rag is a joke.

I would never attend anything called an ‘outreach meeting’ out of principle.

Do all writers cry as much as Craig does?

Craig - while I vowed to myself that I would never post publicly again - here or anywhere else - out of respect and love for you, I thought I should jump in here and address a couple of things.

First - I agree with you about the tone and tenor of Kim’s letter. As you well know, I’ve had my own issues with this kind of thing for awhile now. And have been fairly vocal about it. Strikes are not frivolous, exciting actions. They are actions that can all but destroy some people’s lives. If they go on for any length of time, they can be devastating. They are not to be romanticized, but rather handled realistically - certainly not frivolously. and certainly not with the intent of any one of us ‘getting stories.’ For me, the latter comment exhibits a decided lack of the slightest bit of knowledge about what we do. Or about who we are.

As one of the key people responsible for the outreaches, I think they have created an amazing force within our membership. The outreaches I’ve attended were very direct - and very smart. I think they’ve been a great unifying factor among the members of our guild. I know that our being unified is akin to a four letter word to some people, but the outreaches have also served as an access for members of our guild to question members of the board. And to have input. As you also well know - the only motive I’ve had in any of this has been bringing an open communication between the leadership and the members. And also to begin to have an informed membership with regard to the issues on the table in this negotiation. With regard to the latter -

It was while Cliff and I were spending days making the phone calls trying to get members to the town hall last sept , that we were hit with so many questions by members, that I began to realize having a staff driven guild with regard to these issues, was a mistake. Writers needed to talk to writers. So I started pushing on having members of our guild be the ones on the other end of the phone when contract questions and questions about this negotiation, arose. I thought it would be much better for writers to be talking to writers -as opposed to taking a chance on having in person, the kind of email that has been one of the subjects of this discourse.

I had also suggested that the people on the other end of the line be trained, and kept as informed as possible, to better answer the questions and concerns of our members. My push for this has been an ongoing effort. And the result was a phone call from one of our staffers telling me that a couple of my ideas had been put into action. contract captains being one of them - although not my name. I’m sure I”m not the only one who was pushing on this. But it was created with the best of intentions. no ulterior motives. Just wanting to help. and perhaps to ease concerns among members, as the negotiations got tougher. Particularly for members who had never been through anything like this before. Stephanie

Ted - I second thanking you for your post about the other rollbacks on the table. I do think that our membership should be appropriately advised, and made aware that there are other things at stake here besides the downloads and residuals. Both equally important, and with the potential to be equally devastating.

These are serious times for us. Defining times. How we walk this walk now, will determine our futures probably for generations. Until the next ‘big thing,’ comes along. And none of this is to be taken lightly. Steph

I’ve been on a picket line (albeit here in London) and let me tell you, it’s as dull as dishwater. I mean, you’d figure it would be exciting… screaming at scabs as they walk into work, trying to form a human chain to block the gates, a frenzied mob rioting in the streets… but it’s completely opposite. It’s six blokes droning on about footie while you drink your sixth cup of watery tea, all the while trying to stay awake at four in the morning. Believe me, if you’re going to get a lot of people out on the line, you have to start now.

while this may have been a zealous attempt by an overworked staffer, im watching the area of communication from leadership closely. both internal communication (to the membership) and external.. to the town and the financial press are crucial now.

met the new communications guy recently, liked him a lot. he comes from a union background, however. im really hoping to see a communications PR hire with hollywood/media/tech experience and contacts.

btw, did anyone see the brooks barnes piece over the weekend in the times?

Ted,

Let me be the third person to say thanks for the “what’s at stake” info you provided. These are critical issues that will factor into my thinking about whether we should strike if all else fails. That said, I sincerely hope it won’t come to that, which is why the chipper tone of Kim’s e-mail disgusts me.

Btw, for my money there’d be less member apathy if the Guild did half as good a job educating and engaging the membership as this blog does.

Hey Anonymous, are you such a chickens—— that you can’t use your name when you call Craig a crybaby? Show some stones and man up, you coward.

The WGA doesn’t want its members educated, they want them “united”.

Fuck you, “Anonymous.” (I am referring to the one asking if all writers “cry” as much as Craig.) When you have the courage to post over your own name, maybe someone will take your idiocy with something other than a grain of salt.

There isn’t any thing to be proud of by standing in a picket line for a corrupt union.

So Craig, you’re playing the “bad cop” warning against the union establishment? Wonderful. But how’s it going getting that 20 million dollars paid to the writers, widows and families that deserve it but aren’t getting it. It guess that’s fallen off your radar (but not off the WGA books).

So Hadl and Sitrick still think you should be blogging to “educate” the masses? And you still don’t see how this will bite you in the ass?

Sorry, J.F. I don’t take my orders from Hadl and Sitrick.

I’m a puppet of the CIA.

I thought you were a spy for the studios? Oh, wait, that’s Jeff Kleeman…who you recommend WGA members all vote for, so that means that YOU must be one, too. The studios, who spread American propaganda, are a puppet, or tool, of the CIA, so I would say you only indirectly are a puppet of the CIA. I just wanted to clear things up.

If you think these morons are sad (and they are!) you should have seen the Compleat Idiots 20 years ago - TWICE they cancelled “strike actions” because of a freakin’forecast of rain. And both times it didn’t rain.

Thank god I learned my lesson about the Wankers Guild Who Couldn’t Shoot Straight and went financial core.

They’re even sadder this time - last time the enemy were people who actually liked movies and cared about what happened. This time they’re up against schleppers of widgets who could care less (as one can see clearly every Friday night at the local swamp, er, I mean multiplex.)

Seriously, we backed them into forcing a strike, so why the fuck aren’t we striking on November 1 when they still need us to complete series and movies for production? WTF?

Craig,

If you are a puppet of the CIA I’d be careful because they have a habit of tossing people out of helicopters when they aren’t useful to them anymore.

I’m not so sure about Hadl and Sitricks policies involving people they have exploited and used up. But my guess is you will suddenly become non-useful to them.

What’s interesting about your posts are that they are happening on a timeline involving a criminal investiagtion which you may or may not be aware you are playing a huge part in. (Kind of like someone saying what a great guy OJ is, even as his Bronco heads out onto the highway and it turns out OJ’s gun is registered to you.)

It seems sad to me that you continue to lie, and make jokes as you continue to implicate yourself. I really do think it must be because you are too afraid of facing reality. Reality is that you are a pasty for a lot of bad people. Someone that would speak out with lies, gather press for themselves, without questioning the impact of what they were being told to said.

For anyone who knows what’s really going on, like with your exposed LAPD Guild Staffer Criminal, and the 20 million dollars in missing money you and Verrier lost interest in once it dropped off the press radar, it’s staggering that you, a former board member with a fiscal responsiblity to tell the truth, continue to post lies.

Good luck with that.

I really liked Pretty Woman. It was like a fairy tale. With hookers.

I like hookers. Not so much fairytales.

“Reality is that you are a PASTY for a lot of bad people.”

Craig is a small round covering for a woman’s nipple worn especially by a stripteaser??? How do I get that job?

hookers = Julia Roberts and that chick from sex, lies, and videotape

pasty = Oswald

Good luck with that = I hope your nuts get caught in an automatic potato peeler, and it peels your nuts, and your nuts are hurt

Okay, I’m probably going to regret this, but J. F., for the benefit of us newbies, can you please explain in a point by point fashion what you’re talking about, and start from the beginning?

Craig,

I demand you address this anonymous point in some fashtion —

— “Seriously, we backed them into forcing a strike, so why the fuck aren’t we striking on November 1 when they still need us to complete series and movies for production? WTF?”

I found it to be of interest to my mind.

Craig,

How do you spell fashion?

Anon,

For some time the WGA has been using money collected from Foreign “Levies” (I put that in quotes because it is a deliberately vague term invented to cover up what they are doing. Foreign taxes would be a better term.) to pay off corrupt WGA officers and members.

A former WGA staffer called it the WGA’s “slush fund.” That was before he agreed to settle with the WGA and silence himself. But not before the DOL got hold of his evidence.

That is, it was money that could be paid to anyone the WGA wanted to control.

This is the 20 million reported in the press as being held in special accounts to generate interest while not being paid to the people it is owed to.

This is the money that Craig keeps trying to cover up that is being stole from other writers. I’ve told Craig this for about five years now. There is plenty of written evidence. Craig isn’t interested.

But, Craig exposed another Guild staffer by saying she stole money from the the Guild. She did (in my opinion). But, guess what, she exposed a lot of other shit about the Guild which I don’t think Craig wanted exposed. Like his own part in the whole matter.

JF

JF-

You should spec a script with your delusional rants. It might become the next “Bourne Ultimatum.” Or maybe not. Maybe it would be a great comedy, though, with you as the unintentional foil.

Kevin Scott Bailey,

Not worried about my delusional rants. Time will prove I’m right, and you’re wrong.

Question is, why do you, with no evidence, assume I’m wrong? What is you game in this? Mine is to expose the truth.

Why do you wish to hide it?

JF

Allow me to educate you, JF: it’s not up to me to prove the negative. You’re making wild, delusional claims. They make no sense, and seem to have no basis in reality. Prove them or shut up.

This is the money that Craig keeps trying to cover up that is being stole from other writers. I’ve told Craig this for about five years now. There is plenty of written evidence. Craig isn’t interested.

I’ve only known you for three years and change, but who’s counting?

I’ve seen no written evidence to support any of your accusations, but I’d be extremely interested to review it. Who wouldn’t be?

But, Craig exposed another Guild staffer by saying she stole money from the the Guild. She did (in my opinion). But, guess what, she exposed a lot of other shit about the Guild which I don’t think Craig wanted exposed. Like his own part in the whole matter.

I didn’t expose anyone. I reported that a Guild staffer was caught allegedly embezzling funds (low five figures) from the foreign levies account. Not much of an exposure there. She was already busted by the time I heard about it.

As for my “part in the whole matter,” again, I have to say…sleeping pretty well at night, JF. Still haven’t gotten any calls from the LAPD, the FBI, the CIA, the NSA, the DOL, the NLRB, the FDA, the FDIC or the TVA.

Anyone who has followed this blog knows that Craig has talked in DETAIL about the “missing” 20 million. It is all accounted for but for as Craig says the low five figures that was stolen by some staffer.

NO ONE IS STEALING ANY MONEY FROM WRITERS other than that staffer! The WGA has answered all these charges again and again and again. The money is completely accounted for and it is crazy for anyone to suggest otherwise!

Craig has been at the forefront of talking about how the Foreign Levies money is carefully handled and why writers get to share it with directors, etc., etc., etc., ETC!

This subject should be declared DEAD on this blog!

I’m more interested in hearing about Craig’s new directing project.

Well, we’re back at faith-based statements:

“Anyone who has followed this blog knows that Craig has talked in DETAIL about the �missing� 20 million. It is all accounted for but for as Craig says the low five figures that was stolen by some staffer.

NO ONE IS STEALING ANY MONEY FROM WRITERS other than that staffer! The WGA has answered all these charges again and again and again. The money is completely accounted for and it is crazy for anyone to suggest otherwise!”

The only accurate statement here is that “….The WGA has answered all these charges again and again…” The question which will be determined as the DoL investigation moves forward is “Are those answers truthful?”

Craig, I believe, believes what he was told by people he had no reason not to believe when they told Craig what they told him. Hell, who wouldn’t, in similar circumstances? The credibility of those sources is not universally accepted, not by reputable journalists, other members of WGA, and not by the DoL.

There are indications of how all this is going in what has and hasn’t happened in the various litigations which have arisen from the “Foreign Levies” issues. If the Guild’s position is true, it should have prevailed in the Mial wrongful termination suit, the suit filed by Neville Johnson for non-members, and the embezzlement case would have been made by the D.A’s office.

Ask the Guild how all of these processes are going.

Art,

You are way in over your head and I suggest you back off.

MIAL KILLED HER HUSBAND. Check out her WGA staff file. She is a criminal. For you to believe her rather than Craig shows you’ve been drinking from the same water Lawton has.

None of this has anything to do with Craig’s postings on Foreign Levies (which are crystal clear) or the Los Angeles Times articles which completely cleared the WGA of any wrong doing other than the theft of a small five figure amount that is covered by insurance.

Craig Fan:

You’re joking, right? About her husband?

Checking out Mial’s staff file would be a violation federal labor law by a member of the Guild; similarly, showing that file to a member by a staff member would be a violation of federal law.

Ms. Mial, from what I’ve heard, claims to have killed her husband in self-defense, and was acquitted in court. If that’s the Guild’s defense in a wrongful termination suit, it says as an organization we make lousy hires, but sure know when and why to fire someone, though, drat, missed it with Michelle Trinh. The fact remains that Mial was a whistle-blower who brought documents to the Department of Labor. The DoL investigation is on-going. It can’t be wished away.

As for who believes what, Mr. Mazin may be a more agnostic about his sources now than he was a while ago. He believes or believed what he has heard or seen. I believe what I have heard and seen. This will play out in time.

Well, all this Terry Mial stuff aside (really? wow…), I’m not any more or less agnostic about my “sources.” My sources on foreign levies are pretty much one source…Patric Verrone.

While Patric and I have a large pile of differences regarding general Guild policy, I have seen no reason to date to question his integrity when it comes to the fiscal management of the Guild, i.e. I may not like how he prefers the union to spend its money, but I’ve seen nothing to suggest he’s breaking any rules in the manner he suggests it spends it.

Also, for the record, I do not know Craig Fan, so each person’s opinion is their own, etc. etc.

Mial was convicted of murder and did jail time. She’s an ex-con! So if that is your source for information about Guild wrong doing Art you’re out on a tree.

As for how it reflects on Guild hiring practices I don’t think that people should be judged as criminals just because they did something wrong in the past, even killing their husband. People can change and I think it speaks well of the Guild that they gave her another chance.

Perhaps it was a mistake that the WGA put her in charge of handling Foriegn Levies particularly because she then turned on the WGA and stole documents, handed them over to the Feds and then sued the Guild. (Winning over six figures.)

If the Feds investigation into Craig and the whole foreign levies issue is based on her testimony then is not going anywhere from a legal standpoint as far as I know and I’m not a lawyer. I think the WGA is on solid ground when it says that it put a murderer in charge of foreign levies, and then paid her off when she asked for money in exchange for not talking to the press.

Next to colored script covers, a big fat STRIKE! would be the best thing that ever happened to writers and Hollywood right now.

More specs are needed and a STRIKE! would allow the perfect opportunity for writers to get back to their roots and create original stories.

Besides, Variety needs something better to write about than the weekly handjob it gives to Judd Apatow

Just to be clear…there’s no freaking Federal investigation of me. Just sayin’.

I mean, other than J.F. deciding that there is…

I just don’t want this to become one of those things where people start talking about how I’m under investigation. I’m as under investigation as any of you are.

Uh. You might want to take that last remark back, Craig.

Craig,

You are seriously under investigation. Sorry. I warned you. I warned you time and time again.

Don’t lie in print about stealing money from writers for the studios. Obviously, you didn’t care, you thought they were too big and important that it would come back at you for saying what they told you to say. I think you made a mistake.

Verrier at the Los Angeles Times made the same mistake. He is also under investigtation now. And the Times isn’t happy. Do you think his career will suffer from naming someone as being reported to the LAPD as stealing money when they weren’t? Naming her in print? When no police report had been filed (unlike your post).

I ask you again, what do you think the LAPD thinks about your personal ablitiles to fight crime by thinking about what people might report to them. You think you’ve won some fans or not?

JF

This whole thread has gone from strange to absurd. Is this really the place to accuse someone of being under investigation by the LAPD or FBI? And why would you know that Craig is under investigation, but not Craig? Sounds a little fishy to me.

Hey, when the voices in your head are giving you information this good, the last thing you want to do is alienate ‘em by checking with other sources….

What happens to the lowly writer’s assistant during the strike? Believe it or not, that is my golden chalice (or compass, or robes or whatever.)

Am I spinning my wheels to still try to go after a writer’s assistant position?