News, of sorts, from the moguls. I won’t rest easy until the WGA members themselves ratify the deal (whatever it is), but this is a big step. From IESB.net:
Strike is Over Says Eisner
Written by Robert Sanchez
Thursday, 07 February 2008Mickey Mouse’s old boss says, “Yes, ” a deal was reached last Friday.
A deal has been struck between the major media companies and the Writers Guild of America to end the writers’ strike, former Walt Disney Chief executive Michael Eisner revealed on CNBC.
“It’s over,” Eisner said. “They made the deal, they shook hands on the deal. It’s going on Saturday to the writers in general.”
Eisner, speaking live on CNBC’s “Fast Money,” seemed to hesitate initially about whether it was possible that the writers could still reject the agreement, but finally suggested the deal’s acceptance was inevitable.
“A deal has been made, and they’ll be back to work very soon,” Eisner said, adding, “I know a deal’s been made. I know it’s over.”
Eisner did not elaborate on terms of the agreement. He said he expects most of the media companies affected by the strike to have “small” write-downs as a result of the deal. Eisner said the deal was struck last Friday.
From Canada’s National Post:
Writers’ strike over: media reports
Former Disney head says deal reached late last week
Canwest News Service
Published: Thursday, February 07, 2008A deal has been reached to end the Hollywood writers’ strike, according to a U.S. media report.
“It’s over,” former Walt Disney chief executive Michael Eisner told CNBC. “They made the deal, they shook hands on the deal. ”
The major media companies and the Writers Guild of America reached an agreement last Friday, Eisner said live on CNBC’s Fast Money.
“I have some friends in certain places and I believe there was a handshake last Friday… it’s possible they (the writers) will turn it down but it would be insane if they turned it down,” Mr. Eisner added.
This doesn’t sound like anything new, exactly, considering the letter the WGA sent to its members yesterday (see below). The letter informed members of a meeting scheduled for this Saturday to discuss the tentative agreement; the guild members still have the option of rejecting the tentative deal, and the WGA leadership has said that it will not to lift the strike without the input of its members:
To Our Fellow Members,
As Negotiating Committee Chair John Bowman wrote you last night, we are continuing to negotiate the terms of a tentative agreement with the AMPTP. We anticipate that we will be able to present the terms of that agreement to you in the next few days. In order to have a full discussion with you of the terms and how they were reached, and in order to get your input before making recommendations or decisions, we have scheduled membership meetings for current-active members only for this Saturday, February 9, in New York and Los Angeles.
The New York meeting will take place at 2 pm ET in the Broadway Ballroom of the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Times Square, 1606 Broadway (Broadway and 49th Street).
The Los Angeles meeting will take place at 7 pm PT in the Shrine Auditorium (665 W. Jefferson Blvd.).
We urge you to attend. We have gotten to this point in our negotiation as the direct result of the power of this strike, which each of you has generated. Neither the Negotiating Committee, nor the West Board or the East Council, will take action on any contract until after the membership meetings are held and your voices have been heard. We are all in this together.
Best,
Patric M. Verrone
President
Writers Guild of America, WestMichael Winship
President
Writers Guild of America, East
Still, the fact that the moguls think this is a done deal might — might — be a good thing. It might mean that they really aren’t ready to lose the rest of the season and next; it might mean that they were negotiating in good faith this time around.
Hang in there, writers, we want you back, but only if the deal is fair to you all!
UPDATED TO ADD: Deadline Hollywood Daily, as usual, has more.
WGA Confab Timetable For Next Few Days
Do not, repeat, do not, believe anyone who claims that the writers strike is over yet …
I get the feeling that this will be the deal that works. Don’t call this the end though. We still remember what the moguls did in December and in the past. I do know that by this time, when the season is full of re-runs, reality shows, etc, that the moguls are hurting enough and are probably willing to make a reasonable deal now. Both sides are hurting severly. I can feel the writers comming back now.
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I want the writers back as much as everyone else. And I really don’t want to be a downer. But there’s something about this kind of blanket, arrogant announcement that I don’t like. As much as I hate to be cynical, this could just as easily be a set-up, calculated to swing the public and the percentage of striking writers that are really hurting and working overtime not to be fed up. Now, if it looks like the membership might not approve this first “legitimate” offering, the executive can go back to whinging about how they’re making every effort and the writers are just being greedy and stubborn, hopefully driving a wedge between those who want to get something meaningful out of this and those who are understandably pushed to their limit at this point. I think it’s completely out of line for Eisner, or anyone on either side frankly, to declare this “over”, before a mutually agreed upon, clearly and specifically worded contract has actually been drafted and accepted by both parties. I want so very much to believe that something extremely satisfying will be presented to the writers this weekend and they’ll feel justified in having hung tough these last 3 months (!!!!), but I’m going to wait until after we hear the results from the meetings this Saturday before making any plans to dance naked in the streets.
I’ve used up my negative allotment for the month now; back to our regularly scheduled shiny, happy people.
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@somuchtokno:
Agreed. I certainly wouldn’t believe a thing Eisner says; he’s the worst kind of AMPTP shill. Where do these guys get off declaring that anything is over? They weren’t the ones striking!
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These guys are just talkin’ a bunch of hooey, trying to get people to believe their deal is uuber fantastic and how if the WGA members vote against it, that they’ll be the bad guys. We all know who the bad guys really are around here, so you don’t fool me, Mr. Eisner. So, let’s plan on celebrating when the WGA says the strike is over.
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Glad to see I’m not the only one who views all this talk with suspicion. I’ll believe it when the WGA says they’ve reached a deal and it’s over.
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Hmm . . . Deadline Hollywood Daily is now reporting that things are not ready for the big WGA meetings planned for tomorrow. Another delay?
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