So, it seems the Writers Strike is all but over, now.  All across Hollywood, Writers are trying to figure out how to detach their somewhat frozen fingers from the picket signs they've carried since early November and relearning the basic QWERTY design of their keyboards.  Many Writers are getting ready to go back into their offices and working overtime to try to catch the remainder of the TV season.  Other writers are sadly folding their Writer's Strike T-Shirts and placing them in storage.  Sadly, not because they want the strike to continue, but because it means they can no longer be proud Striking Writers, but must return to their other status as Unemployed Writer.

I have many thoughts about it all, of course.  Many of which I've expressed before, so I won't go through them all now.  But the bottom line is whether it was all worth it.  For the general audience, the landscape of their TV changed.  Some of their favorite shows went into reruns or may disappear completely.  Supposed "Reality" shows and variety shows became a bit more common.  For the people who work in the various fantasy institutions known collectively as "Hollywood", it was a scary and damaging strike for individuals and families.  Despite the all too common misperception that the vast majority of Hollywood lives in million dollar mansions and drive Mercedes and Jaguars, the vast majority of people live modest lives, making modest incomes, but with the added stress of work that is fickle and subject to the whims of audience, advertisers and, yes, strikes.  This is true for the people who work on the set moving furniture to the Writers writing the shows.  For all of us, this was a scary strike.  Why?  Because it worked.  It had exactly the effect that strikes are supposed to have.  It shut down business.

Horrible to say it that way, but come on.  Anyone who knows anything about Labor Relations knows that the Strike is the ultimate weapon the worker has to redress perceived grievances.  It isn't meant to be the first weapon used, but if there is any expectation of fair negotiation, the worker has to show that they have the ability to hit the companies where it hurts: their wallets.  But, as with any other industry, a strike doesn't just affect the two groups, it affects all who have direct and indirect dealings with them.

Yes, that's boring, but, it seems, too many people have forgotten the purpose of a strike.  Which is why there were many people who wanted to blame Writers for bringing the industry to a halt without acknowledging why it happened.  You might agree or disagree with the Writers, but at least understand fully what is going on.

And, interestingly enough, though the battle lines were drawn between the AMPTP (studios) and the WGA, in fact many executives on the Studio side were not all that much in support of the AMPTP.  Some of them were, in fact, supporting the Writers (though they couldn't say that publicly).  Several Executives I ran into in social situations privately told me that they hoped the Writers would win this quickly.  In fact one Exec at a major studio privately asked me if the WGA might consider a side deal with his particular division.  Which, by the way, brings up another discussion I won't go into at this time, but something to think about: the WGA wasn't really fighting the Studios, we were fighting the corporate parents of the studios.  In other words, we weren't fighting NBC/Universal, we were fighting GE (the parent company of NBC).  Those are mega-corporations who treat Hollywood as a division, not as an industry.  But, a discussion for a later time.

Even the larger Agencies were in open support of the Writers.  Keep in mind, these are major Agencies who have working relationships with the Studios.  But they were on the line as well, delivering food at times, just showing support at others.

And, now and then, we would find ourselves walking next to people who had nothing to do with Hollywood.  Steel workers, Airline pilots and crew, IATSE and IEW members.  Teamsters who drove their trucks past gates, refusing to cross the line, honking their horns and waving in agreement.

Ah, yes… the horns… I told a few people that if there was ever a contest to match cars up to the sound of their horn, I'd be sure to win.  Oh, yes, there were a few angry horns beeped in our direction, but for the most part, it was a sound of support.  And we'd wave our picket signs in response (to this day, if I hear a horn, my hand automatically goes up… a bit of a problem at times)

So was it a success?  Depends on which viewpoint you have.  For the Writers, yes, a success.  Not a perfect one, we didn't get everything we wanted and settled for some things we didn't like, but just as with any battle, you come out bloodied and bruised, but you still hold the field.  But, yes, it was a success.  We have established jurisdiction, we have forced accountability, and we have laid a solid groundwork for other negotiations in the future, negotiations which, now established, will be less subject to crippling strikes.  And it will give Studio Lawyers more work in trying to find loopholes around the new provisions (not as much of a joke as you think; it's always about loopholes).

And, amazingly, the Writers showed that they had strength.  There is no false pride in this and the Writers don't want to be perceived as puffing out their chests at the expense of others, but, as Michael Moore pointed out, who would have thought that a bunch of people who were picked on in school for writing stories could have forced the corporations into concessions?  And that the Writers would have stayed together, cohesive, kept the picket lines going, kept the message strong, and kept focused long enough to do this.  Remember, Writers a notoriously independent bunch.  We keep to our little rooms for a reason.  We are creative hermits, we don't like to deal with other people, we prefer our privacy.  Ask anyone who has been close to me and you'll know!  But it was different this time.  For various reasons.

First of all, because we realized the issues involved were ones that didn't just deal with extra money, they dealt with the very concept of a career as a Writer.  The new media of the internet and downloads is where it is all going… hell, it has already gone.  To have lost this strike would have meant the end to Writing as a career.  You'd have to have a day job just to work full time as a Writer.  We weren't fighting for more, we were fighting for survival. 

SAG recognized this.  The Screen Actor's Guild was amazing.  Their leadership, their members, just amazing.  Every time a SAG actor was on the line with us, you'd see Writers going up to them and thanking them for their support.  This kind of support was a result of SAG realizing and understanding that our issues were their issues.  When the WGA went on strike, we got many letters of support from other Guilds.  They were nice letters, but mostly letters of sympathy.  However, the SAG letter was different.  They went down every item of negotiation and specifically stated that they supported our POSITIONS.  It wasn't just a generic support letter, it was a cannon shot across the bow of the Studios telling them that SAG is behind us for legitimate reasons, not just as solidarity for a sister union.  And letting the studios know what to expect when SAG's contract comes up for negotiation.  Will SAG go on strike? I'm hoping that, with the gains that the WGA made and with the already weakened industry, the AMPTP will negotiate fairly with them and avoid a strike.  But if they do, you can bet that this WGA member will be on the line with them.  They deserve no less than the support they gave us.

Another part of it was, of course, the leadership of the Guild at this time.  This was a determined group of people who recognized that the issues we were dealing with were twenty years in the making and eight years overdue.  They presented themselves as grass roots people who had much more in common with the average Writer.  Heck, much more in common with labor in general.  Patric Verrone, love him or hate him, was dynamic and inspiring.  I was a little leery of him at the beginning but I came to understand his determination and focus.  Understand that I've gone through many negotiations and a few strikes, so I've not always been happy with the WGA representation.  I was very pleased this time, with Patric and the rest of the board.

But more than the board of the WGA, we had a picket system that worked.  It was constantly adjusted, but it worked. And we had strong and responsible picket leaders and strike captains who went out of their way to make sure it all ran smoothly.  And, though there were many who deserve thanks for all that, I want to give special notice to Katherine Fugate.  Katherine was the picket captain for a shift at the Disney Buena Vista Gate.  You all know Katherine and I are friends, so accuse me of being biased, but I was really REALLY impressed by the effort she put into keeping all of us informed with her nightly e-mail reports and making sure that her shift ran smoothly.  I'm a floater, I could go to any picket line, but I found myself more likely to hang around for her shift than others.  And Katherine didn't let it end on the picket line; she was active in many other areas including organizing an evening of music to benefit those who were suffering financially as a result of the strike.  So if this seems like a bit of a love song to Katherine, well… it's an acknowledgement of her efforts and dedication on behalf of us all, Writer and non-Writer alike.  

It's people like Katherine that kept us moving with purpose.  Never allowing us to forget why we were there and why this was so important to everyone in the business.

However, the amazing thing about this strike is that, for the first time, it seemed the majority of the non-Hollywood industry DID understand what was going on.  Yes, you, the audience and the fans.  In past strikes, the Writers have been successfully demonized by the Studios as spoiled and pampered non-essentials who are merely striking to get attention.  The Studios have managed to turn public opinion against the Writers, forcing us into contracts we didn't want and situations that were guaranteed to create future conflict.  The Studios have used the Guilds against each other in order to stack the deck.

Not this time.  And, in my opinion, the reasons for that are simple and thrilling.  For the first time, we, the Writers, were recognized for our talents and importance by the general public.  You have to understand that Writers are the bastard children of the business.  Despite the fact that nothing happens until we write our scripts, we are forgotten by the public, denied by the industry and ignored in our creative participation.  In the past, the public didn't even know there WERE Writers involved.  I mean, hey, don't the Actors make it up as they go along?  It seems too natural to have been written (which actually means it was well-written and well-performed).  But this time, it was different.

The public showed its support.  It didn't buy into the AMPTP publicity machine (in fact that machine failed miserably).  From internet sites to youtube videos to participation on the ground in our strikes, they showed that they understood fully what the Writers were to the creative process.  And, they showed how much they valued that participation.  We had many rallies where fans of particular shows would attend, from Star Trek day to Joss Whedon day to, yes, my own beloved Xena fan base who amazed me with their numbers and determination to picket with us DURING AN ICE STORM!!!  We had fans of shows delivering food and goodies to the picket lines to show their support, again, a personal proud nod toward the Xena fans "Xena Refreshes" Campaign which provided bottled water for us on the line.

AND WAIT WAIT WAIT... I almost forgot to mention someone I can't mention!  "She-Who-Will-Be-Unnamed".  I cannot go into detail except to say that there was someone VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY important to the Xena Refreshes campaign, who coordinated the local end of the effort, and refuses to be recognized nor will acknowledge her crucial participation.  Let it be known that She-Who-Will-Be-Unnamed is a wonderful person whom I am proud to know, though I can't be specific right here.  She-Who-Will-Be-Unnamed has reasons for her anonymity and I will respect that.  But I know... even before the Strike, I knew of her generosity and caring.  She is and always will be a friend of mine because of who she is.

But back to the support of the public and the fans.  You folks have no idea how much all that helped.  We, the Writers, were not alone.  We were appreciated.  We were supported.  You gave us that additional strength to keep going, to get up yet again and walk the line.  The internet helped this tremendously in that we could keep the communication going both ways. And the more you (the public) heard the various viewpoints, the more support we got.  It wasn't just blind devotion, it was fairly well informed.

And you gave us a responsibility that we had missed before.  Before, it was a matter of us versus them.  This time, we also had to keep in mind that others were behind us; that we had a responsibility toward them.  Toward our fans.  It was an additional weight but, I think, a necessary one.  Remember what I said?  Writers are notorious loners.  Loners can often become selfish and lose site of the larger picture.  Not this time.  You kept us honest.  Thank you for that.  All of it.

So what happens now?  We'll see.  After every strike, the landscape changes.  The industry changes.  The march toward the internet was already well underway, so that won't be the major change.  But, perhaps, the way the internet is handled will change, at least as far as entertainment is concerned.  I am a bit of a futurist at times, so I have my own opinions as to what will eventually happen.  Some of it good, some of it bad.  But all of it different.  All of it based on past events as I attempt to project them into the future. 

But make no mistake.  This Strike made history.  It changed a lot of things.  It was rough, it was damaging to many, but history was made and the future path of Hollywood has been set.  It's obvious that all of us in Hollywood had a hand in that.  But, for those of you who were on the picket lines with us, or supported us on the websites, or just showed your open support in general to our cause, YOU are a part of that change.  You made history as well.

Sounds a little grand, doesn't it?  To say you saw history made?  Or, even more, that YOU were a part of making history?  Sounds like something a Writer might write.

But it's true.  Hell of a thing, eh?