While the news last week has included the strike of the Writers Guild of America that began Monday the 5th, it hasn’t been the most important event. A new attorney general, the same Pakistani dictator, Congress for the first time in George II’s 6 1\/2 years overrode one of his vetoes, gasoline is up and the market looks down — these rate higher. In fact, that the strike as it begins its second week shows this trade — script writing as opposed to novel writing — can be allowed to sit while the entertainment industry coasts. Movies and TV can afford to slide.<\/p>\n
There it is, proof that the labor movement in America is dead. Collective action worked for a few decades but that was ages ago.<\/p>\n
But what about the auto workers? The UAW just got what it wanted from Ford by threatening a strike. A few weeks earlier, GM and Chrysler were struck by the auto workers briefly, and the corporations caved. It makes no sense, as the automotive is beholden to oil, and there you go. Hollywood needs writers, because aren’t the so-called “reality” shows just a fad as prime-time games had been and before that so-called newsmagazines every single night?<\/p>\n
After all, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the way to learn about the writer’s strike is on the Internet. You’ll see they have a reasonable point about royalties from new media. Many of them post first-person accounts (plug “writers strike” in a search engine), which don’t arouse much sympathy. Some of the personal ones try to be funny. Besides, the idea of writers who are on strike but who are writing — and publishing — is confusing.<\/p>\n
I have never been a member of any union, but the notion of collective action is romantic, with some good songs, too. I’ll just read about it. I don’t need help speaking up. Whining in harmony must be like a cat convention in an alley. I’ve become adept as a soloist. Fault-finding really does irritate those on the other side of the table, though, and it either backfires or they manage to ignore it. I sound good in the shower but never have received a contract.<\/p>\n
I am one; I am many. My interests are plural, needs numerous, complaints like gravel on the construction site. Collectively, I am no bargain.<\/p>\n
-30-<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
While the news last week has included the strike of the Writers Guild of America that began Monday the 5th, it hasn’t been the most important event. A new attorney general, the same Pakistani dictator, Congress for the first time in George II’s 6 1\/2 years overrode one of his vetoes, gasoline is up and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-spin"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7610,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2023\/07\/a-clickbait-strike-lifts-all-of-us\/","url_meta":{"origin":370,"position":0},"title":"A Clickbait Strike Lifts All of Us","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"July 28, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"It's Science: A Rising Tide Would Lift All Boats An Editor's Note This could be our year. The next months could see unions that support public educators and support staff, indeed the unions for all varieties of workers, return to proportionate prominence. This is because of the Hollywood strikes. All\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life Lessons"","block_context":{"text":"Life Lessons","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/life-lessons\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Array of logos of WGA West and WGA East, SAG-AFTRA and UA-Fayetteville Education Association\/Local 965","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Array-of-logos-of-WGA-SAG-AFTRA-and-Local-965.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Array-of-logos-of-WGA-SAG-AFTRA-and-Local-965.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Array-of-logos-of-WGA-SAG-AFTRA-and-Local-965.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Array-of-logos-of-WGA-SAG-AFTRA-and-Local-965.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Array-of-logos-of-WGA-SAG-AFTRA-and-Local-965.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Array-of-logos-of-WGA-SAG-AFTRA-and-Local-965.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":368,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2007\/11\/strike-for-freedom\/","url_meta":{"origin":370,"position":1},"title":"Strike for Freedom","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"November 7, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Copyright 2007 Ben S. Pollock Got a crazy idea the other day: I need matches. The Shady Hill manse is running out, and we had few to begin with. We're not ones to collect matchbooks at restaurants and bars with regularity so, now that essentially no business hands them out,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Brick Bats Reportage"","block_context":{"text":"Brick Bats Reportage","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/brick-bats-reportage\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2547,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2011\/01\/resolutions-for-the-columnist\/","url_meta":{"origin":370,"position":2},"title":"Resolutions for the Columnist","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"January 1, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"The following is my president's column for the January 2011 edition of monthly newsletter of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. 1. Quit grasping onto obvious topics like \"Columnist Lists New Year's Resolutions.\" 2. When writing, quit the posed, \"I don't know about you, but as for me ...\" or\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Course of Words"","block_context":{"text":"The Course of Words","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/course-of-words\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2428,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2010\/11\/third-quarter-ii-into-the-fourth\/","url_meta":{"origin":370,"position":3},"title":"Third Quarter II, Into the Fourth","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"November 9, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The Brick book list with sketchy reviews, continued. Book List through October 2010 September 2010 Solar by Ian McEwan. Book on CD. The novel by the polished McEwan got mixed reviews but I liked it. It's a successful comic novel whose hero is brilliant but a buffoon, who wages a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mr. Boo Klist"","block_context":{"text":"Mr. Boo Klist","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/mr-boo-klist\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8405,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2026\/06\/why-us-and-when\/","url_meta":{"origin":370,"position":4},"title":"Why Us. And When?","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"June 24, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"An Editor\u2019s Note \"Why should (I) join Local 965\/AEA\/NEA?\" That is one of the two top questions that other 965 leaders and I get when friends and strangers learn of our affiliation. The other question is more of a statement: \"I didn't know the UA had a labor union.\" There\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Education, Coarsely"","block_context":{"text":"Education, Coarsely","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/education-coarsely\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The 1966 AFSCME charter for Local 965, then the Arkansas Public Employees Union (APEU)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Local-965-APEU-AFSCME-charter-1966-1080x608-464kb.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Local-965-APEU-AFSCME-charter-1966-1080x608-464kb.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Local-965-APEU-AFSCME-charter-1966-1080x608-464kb.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Local-965-APEU-AFSCME-charter-1966-1080x608-464kb.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/Local-965-APEU-AFSCME-charter-1966-1080x608-464kb.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":143,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2005\/05\/equal-footing-midair\/","url_meta":{"origin":370,"position":5},"title":"Equal footing, midair","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"May 16, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Copyright 2005 Ben S. Pollock Monday, May 16, 2005: I keep forgetting to enjoy the new Fayetteville Public Library. My usual habit is to hit the 10-minute curb parking and go in long enough for the book I had put on hold via the Internet or to choose a fresh\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life Lessons"","block_context":{"text":"Life Lessons","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/life-lessons\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=370"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}