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Writers Strike - Day 22
a writer's perspective
I imagined that I would begin Week 4 of the strike full of energy, completely rested and rejuvenated after nearly a week of Thanksgiving festivities. The reality was quite the opposite. I am tired!
The WGA has officially shortened our shifts to 3 hour blocks, Monday through Thursday. Fridays are being reserved for rallies, meetings, or heavy drinking. I signed up to do the 5am to 8am shift this morning, but when I got home at 2 last night, I realized what a horrible, horrible idea that was.
I ended up working the 8-11 shift instead. At first, it felt like the first day back at school after a holiday break. Everyone talked about what they did on their vacation, how sick they are of Pumpkin Pie, and how they wish they had spent more time relaxing.
People driving by seem like they have a holiday hangover as well. Everyone looks tired. There are still a lot of honks and waves, but not a lot of smiles.
A construction crew has begun doing roadwork where our sign-in sheet usually is. They are loud, and whatever they are doing smells really awful. I notice that several of them have pro-union stickers on their hardhats.
At one point, a grip that I used to work with walks out of the studio. I am excited to see him and say hello. He seems uncomfortable, a little tentative to shake my hand with his friends watching. I ask how he’s doing, and he gestures to the other strikers and says, “well, you know”, then walks off. I guess he’s in the 4% that doesn’t support the strike.
I hit the sign-in table to grab a coffee and maybe a doughnut. There are shopping bags full of uncooked pasta and cans of beans, and I remember, that we are having a food drive all week. Other than the bags of donated food, our table is conspicuously empty. One cooler of water and some cups, a half a bagel. I think back to that first week when we had boxes of doughnuts stacked six feet high.
The big story today, of course, is the fact that negotiations between the WGA and the AMPTP have officially resumed. Both sides have agreed to a media blackout, so we shouldn’t expect to hear anything officially. (Hey, they agreed on something!)
The consensus mood amongst the writers is “Cautious Optimism” - a phrase I heard several times today. I fully believe that the agents who have been working behind the scenes to get everybody back to the table have also been working to bang out an agreement that will end the strike. Maybe I’m delusional, but I expect to hear (relatively) good news very soon.
And if not, I’m just gonna have to remember to sign up for the afternoon shift if I’m gonna stay out ‘til 2am.
photo by Heath Biter for LAist