Strike

[Note: I was originally calling this “day seven,” but it’s really the ninth day of the strike. It’s the seventh day of picketing.]

A better day than six. Warmer, for one, and with more of Paramount’s picketers assigned to the Van Ness gate, the mood was improved. I don’t know what the ideal picketer-per-linear-foot ratio is, but it’s like throwing a party. Below a certain number of people, it’s just a lot of milling about.

I’ve heard reports of police (notably, not LAPD) being unfriendly at other locations, issuing jaywalking tickets for the most minor of infractions. Around Paramount, I’m happy to report, they’ve been great. One cruiser stopped to make sure we were creating gaps (we were) and gave a thumbs-up. I’m hoping they’ll station an officer nearby during peak hours to discourage drivers who cut lanes, impatient for those making a left turn. Because that’s probably the first car accident waiting to happen.

I got to talk with more Teamsters today. They’re a very strong union, with a unique clause in their contracts which allows individual drivers to choose not to cross another union’s picket lines. One Teamster driver’s proposed solution (“You gotta have 24-hour picket lines, big ones, at every studio and shut the whole town down.”) stirred in me a fantasy montage in which trucks idled for hours, unable to actually land anywhere. More than anything, it was interesting talking with a guy who was genuinely conflicted.

I got an email today from someone in a similar situation:

I am an aspiring screenwriter, [but currently] I am a computer tech at [Big Movie Studio]…I live in Dana Point and commute 2-3 hours each way, everyday just to keep my foot in the door, just to be able to maintain a financially viable career while at the same time being able to smoke on that pipe from time to time. I’ve been fortunate thus far. I have made some great contacts in the development department at [my studio] and have made other connections that at least have me pointed in a decent direction. So with all that being said, here’s my dilemma:

I feel an intense guilt having to walk through the picket lines each morning. Philosophically, I am on the WGA’s side. But most mornings since the strike began, I am insulted, albeit lightly, as I walk through the picket line. I read your last post about how the pickets are really not there to stop people like myself but more to stop the Teamsters. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been my experience.

I don’t work in production. I am just a computer helpdesk guy. I have no union nor do I have any protection that the unions offer. If I walkout in support, I have no job and when the strike ends I won’t be welcomed back like the writers eventually will.

So I guess what I am asking is this: I have been thinking about taking a day off and walking the picket lines at [my studio]. I want to show my support without putting my job in jeopardy. I also want to try and introduce myself to the pickets and tell them that while I must cross their lines, I support them nonetheless. I thought that if I picketed with them and got to know some of them that perhaps they might feel better about me when I cross the lines to go to work.

I sympathize completely. In fact, that’s probably my biggest frustration with the whole idea of picketing — you end up pissing off a lot of people who are not only Not The Bad Guy, but are otherwise very sympathetic to the situation. I got into a disagreement with a guy on my picket line this morning who I felt was being overzealous in his efforts to delay and annoy motorists. I pulled out my observation that, “making an assistant 20 seconds later to her desk doesn’t help anyone.” He was at most half-convinced, but I’m happy he moved on to another gate. ((By the same token, being delayed 20 seconds is no reason to start driving like a maniac, which happened several times today. I’m pretty convinced there’s going to be an accident — either car hitting car, or car hitting picketer — caused by one of these sudden bursts of idle-rage.))

My advice for the reader who wrote in is to absolutely take a walk on the picket lines.

Again today I had three readers joining me (two for their second round), and I was impressed that it wasn’t remotely about schmoozing or networking. As aspiring writers, they recognized that the outcome of this strike will determine a lot about the future of screenwriters in the industry. They wanted to take some ownership of the outcome, which I applaud.

Pictured is not my head, in case you’re wondering.

[Note: I was originally calling this “day six,” but it’s really the eighth day of the strike. It’s the sixth day of picketing.]

I’ve had early call times for production, so showing up at Paramount at 6 a.m. was no particular hardship. It was dark and cold, but with two layers of fleece and my non-Thermos-brand coffee mug, I was ready.

The bigger challenge today was the location. My team was assigned to the Van Ness gate, which is very busy. Not only is it one of the main hubs for trucks, but it’s the entrance to a major parking garage. Unlike the main gate on Melrose, there’s no light, no cross-walk, and very little to prevent a car from smacking you head-on. Which nearly happened three times today.

So if there are any Paramount employees reading this, let me have a little honest moment with you.

1. **We really will let you in.** We’re not trying to be dicks. We have to keep walking — that’s the law. We create gaps so your car can go through. Believe me, we’re not trying to hobble Paramount by making you 20 seconds later to your desk.
2. **By 8:47 a.m., when you’re arriving at work, we’ve been walking for almost three hours.** So forgive us if we’re walking a little slow.
3. **We kind of only care about the trucks.** Teamsters have been very supportive of the strike, so we often talk with them, and hand them flyers with updates. If we don’t give you a flyer, it’s because you’re not driving a big truck. But we love you, too.
4. **Those friendly, sympathetic waves? Keep ’em coming.** As far as we know, there’s no Big Brother camera where the studio overlords are watching for signs of employee collusion.

Because it’s a school holiday, it ended up becoming “bring your kid to the picket line” day. We sent parents with kids to other gates, however, because it was just too dangerous at ours.

Now that I’ve painted such a glorious picture of the fun of striking, let me invite you to join me tomorrow: same place, same time. I had three blog-readers walking with us today, none of whom were WGA. So my thanks to them, and the drivers who didn’t run over them.