Were The Producers Serious?

Some writers are wondering if the producers really wanted to avoid the strike.

In the weeks leading up to the writers' strike, Carol Mendelsohn, co-creator and executive producer for CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, was one of the members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) negotiating committee. "The writers wanted to make a deal and were willing to negotiate until there was a deal," she told Hollywood Today, "but the other side never made us an offer, never put an economic package on the table, so here we are on the picket line."

Some members of the WGA felt that the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) were not serious during the negotiations. "I observed some behavior during the negotiations that clearly indicated to me that there was some gamesmanship going on from the other side," said Desperate Housewives executive producer, creator and showrunner Marc Cherry. "They (the producers) didn't get into serious discussions until the day before we said we were going to strike, which was a really bad sign to me. And the truth is we went in last July very kind of honestly and earnestly saying here are our proposals. And they didn’t start discussing them with us until the last possible second. I was very concerned about that. And I do think the fact that they had their press release prepared (when talks ended abruptly last Sunday) prior to us even discussing things was a really bad sign." Another writer told the LA Times that "[t]he studios are using the strike to clean their books, getting rid of the writers they don't want and keeping the ones they do."

"The writers aren't trying to win anything," Mendelsohn said. "The writers are just trying not to lose what they already have. If management takes away all the money they want to take away now, next time they are going to come after our pension and health benefits. So this is an issue that affects unions and guilds everywhere. This is a moment the writers happen to be on the front line." CSI star William Petersen joined the writers on the picket line, pointing out that "without them I have no show to do, so we're gonna be out of work." Petersen wasn't the only actor to show his support of the writers. Entertainment Tonight did a segment showing stars on the picket line, including Robin Williams. "We can't work without them, [and] they can't work without us," Williams said. It has been reported that former President Bill Clinton has offered to mediate negotiations between the WGA and the AMPTP.

The original article about the writers pondering the producers' real intentions is from Hollywood Today. A small video segment of the Entertainment Tonight report can be watched on ET Online. Thanks to LaurenPetersen from Your Tax Dollars At Work.

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