Writers Rack Up More Support for Strike

Writers Rack Up More Support for Strike

by James Parks, Dec 19, 2007

With negotiations on hold until January, striking members of the Writers Guild continue to gain support across the industry and the country. They also are trying a few new ideas in their effort to gain a fair share of the expected revenues from new media such as the Internet.

After negotiators for the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) stalked out of talks last week, writers announced they plan to begin negotiations with individual producers. They will formally approach studios today to discuss their willingness to make individual deals with companies.

Last week, David Letterman’s production company, Worldwide Pants, said it wanted to strike an interim agreement with the writers to cover those who work on its two programs, “Late Show with David Letterman” and “The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson.”

Even though the strike is in its second month, support for the writers is growing daily. This week, actors and staff for daytime television and crime shows will join the writers’ picket lines. And across the country over the past 10 days, writers and their allies marched in Boston, Kingston, N.Y., and Minneapolis. (See video.)