To Picket, or Not to Picket

My friend Jenorama (who also writes for TV Squad, among many other endeavors) can't stop following the  news of the WGA strike. I've been complying with her obsession by feeding her links to online sources like Mark Evanier's News From Me blog, Huffington Post's section devoted to WGA's work stoppage and even videos from TV Guide.

I've been following the news closely, too. I keep shushing my daughter every time there's strike news. And since the car radio seems permanently stuck on Santa Monica NPR station KCRW, that's a lot of back seat silence. Entertainment industry workers from both sides of the line are a big portion of their audience, and so the station is airing lots of locally produced coverage (much of which is available streaming or via podcast): The Business, Martini Shot, Minding the Media, and Which Way, L.A.? have all reported (or are scheduled to report) on the dispute between the writers and the studios that employ them.

But my interest in the work stoppage is a little bit more than that of a television fan. I once thought that I, too, could be a successful television writer. I'm an emeritus member of the WGA, which means that I have not actively worked in the field for several years. I no longer pay dues and I can't vote. But I still receive an annual membership card, and yesterday's mail included a fat packet from the Guild, spelling out the strike rules and a form I needed to fill out to send with any scripts I might have in the works for the Guild's Script Validation Program.

Of course, I don't have any scripts to market. I realistically gave up on that dream when I turned 40. If you don't make it in Hollywood by your mid-30's and you're not a character actor, you may as well forget it. My mistakes were starting too late (I sold my first sitcom script when I was 30) and believing that I could simultaneously pursue a career in Hollywood and a fulfilling personal life. Some people are able to have both, but I'm not a good multi-tasker. I'm also not a fast enough writer, not assertive enough (which would be the kiss of death in a writing room) -- and there are people who would make the point that I simply do not possess the talent. (There are other people who think I do, but neurotic that I am, I tend to only remember my negative reviews.)

I was not contacted to participate in a picket line, so I did not report to any of the studio sites on Monday morning, even though the WGA website instructed members to do so, even if they didn't get the call. I mean, what are they going to do? I'm already never working in this town again.

But what if a miracle occurred and I did have the opportunity to work on a show? And the WGA slapped me down for not performing picket duties? Was I certain I wouldn't be burning a very important bridge?

So I called them on Monday to find out exactly what (if any) obligations I had as an emeritus member of the Guild. I ended up leaving a voice mail (everyone was busy with the strike, naturally), which a nice lady returned that evening. The bottom line is that I was correct in my assumption that I am under no obligation to join a picket line, however...

"If you want to, we would love your support. Just go to the nearest picket site to your home, or the last studio where you worked."

So there's the dilemma. As I stated in my post reminiscing about the 1988 strike, I truly don't want to see anyone I knew from those days. It would be like going to your high school reunion after gaining 50 pounds and working minimum wage. (Wait a minute. I boycotted my last reunion for those very reasons.) And the people I most don't want to see are likely to be walking the same lines that are convenient for me: CBS Radford, NBC and Warner Brothers.

Then again, the strike is the biggest news out of SoCal right now, and I'm doing NaBloPoMo and need daily material. And I sure would like one of those red WGA Strike t-shirts (although they probably gave them all out when the strike began on Monday). We didn't get t-shirts in '88.

Then again, walking a picket line from 9:00 to 1:00 would take a big chunk out of my day, just giving me enough time to get Megan from school. The 1:00 to 5:00 shift is out of the question. 

Then again, it would be good exercise.

Now I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel.

For right now, I'm going to stay right here, safely on the sidelines. Should this strike go on for a long time (and from all indications, this one will probably be a doozy - maybe even surpassing the 22 week walkout of '88), they may actually NEED some fresh blood to join them on the line.

And who knows? Production this week has shut down faster than I expected it would. Maybe the producers will come to their senses and realize that giving their workers a few pennies more will preserve their business and still leave them with plenty of profit for themselves.

Maybe miracles DO happen.