So why should you care?

Like any story on the news, the first question on most people's minds is usually "Why should I care?"

Well, there are a few reasons to care about the WGA Strike. Here are four that we've come up with, in order of their importance to the average viewer or poster; we welcome everyone to post reasons of their own, and as always, to discuss everything posted.

Why should we care?

1. It seriously affects television programming.

It's no secret that without writers generating content, there can't be any scripted shows. Programs have had to either halt production, go on hiatus, or declare their future's uncertain at this point.

Here's a list of several popular television programs that are or have been affected by the WGA Strike (source: The Los Angeles Times online news article posted Nov. 9):

The View
The Daily Show with John Stuart
The Colbert Report
Saturday Night Live
Desperate Houswives
Grey's Anatomy
Ugly Betty
Lost
Boston Legal
CSI (including all spin-off productions)
Jericho
The Office
Law & Order: SVU
Friday Night Lights
Medium
Scrubs
Gossip Girl
One Tree Hill
24
Dirt
Prison Break

. . . And the list goes on. You can view the full list here.


2. It's more than just the writers who've lost their jobs.

Members of production crews, interns, and other jobs associated with studios have been terminated as a result of halted production. These are median-income individuals who, like most Americans, simply want to earn a living and are in the $30,000/year or less income bracket. Ending the strike creates jobs and allows these individuals to get back to work.

3. It sets the precedent for future labor union strikes in other fields.

Every time a labor union undergoes negotiations with a company, the outcome and the events of the strike itself set the precedent for future situations--a "ripple effect." If a labor union in any field of employment is treated poorly, or negotiations are mishandled, it sends a message to employers in different fields that handling their own disputes in that manner is either okay or effective. This creates a problem for any labor union in any field seeking change, effecting many different levels of other industries.

4. It could potentially lead to a strike by the Screen Actor's Guild and/or the Director's Guild of America.

Both the SAG and the DGA face the same issues that are being negotiated in the Writer's Strike. If a settlement of some sort is not reached in a timely manner, these other unions could possibly rally in support of their fellow union workers, creating an even greater gap in the entertainment industry.


J/R