Back from picketing. It was WGA-SAG Solidarity Day today on the front lines at Fox, which meant I not only saw a lot of writer friends but actor friends, as well.
A few correspondents have asked exactly why it is we picket. There are a couple of reasons, one being that it's traditional. The other labor unions in town expect it of us, and if we didn't picket, everyone would be saying, "Those spoiled writers think they're too good to picket" or maybe "The writers aren't really behind their guild's strike. They don't care enough to come out and picket." We also picket for the news value, to keep the story in the headlines and to remind everyone that we're still out, that we still don't have anything close to an acceptable offer for our services.
There were a lot of news cameras out there today. For a time, I was picketing behind a gent who had the letters "WGA" shaved into the back of his head, and three separate camera crews practically mowed me down, trying to get some footage of that. Also, there was some woman there…I have no idea who she is and neither did any of the folks with whom I was then picketing. But she's apparently a regular on some popular series and she was surrounded by cameras and microphones and from what I could hear, she was saying all the right things. (The "buzz" on the line, for what it's worth, is that the Screen Actors Guild hates the DGA deal even more than most writers, and that they're determined to accept nothing even remotely in the same ballpark.)
And I guess we also picket for ourselves. None of us like being on strike but there's some wonderful camaraderie and mutual reassurance that happens there, marching with folks who are solidly on your side. I have never believed a syllable of those rumors that the Guild was divided on this issue, that there were gaggles of top screenwriters and show runners poised to break the strike and flee the Guild. Those tales are absolute Bandini, through and through. But if I ever did believe them for a second, a visit to a picket line like today's would calm any concerns.
It was actually quite pleasant, especially since I did something that was, for me, rather smart. The last time I went over to picket Fox, I drove around for half an hour, unable to find a parking space in the same zip code. Today, I was shrewder.
Fox is on Pico Boulevard. So is one of my favorite restaurants. I went and parked on the street near the restaurant, went in and had a bowl of Turkey Rice Soup…then I jumped on the #7 Pico bus and let it take me about two-thirds of a mile to the picketing. When I was done, I hopped the same bus going the other way and let it take me to my car. Total cost? $1.50 for the bus (75 cents each way) and four bucks for the soup. I actually didn't have to have the soup in order for the plan to work but I thought it was a nice touch.