As you all know, there’s a writer’s strike going on. Leno and Letterman, among others, had been airing reruns while waiting for the strike to end. Letterman reached an interim agreement with the Writer’s guild that allowed his writers to return to work. Meanwhile Leno and Conan O’Brien have expressed support for the union but have gone back to work. Leno is a member of the guild and according to him, he wrote his own monologue which is against union strike rules.
I am getting a voyeuristic thrill from watching how unions can be so destructive. Here they had 2 months to reach an agreement. Meanwhile all the other employees of the shows and productions stop work in support of the union. In the end, the union’s own members have to cross picket lines to put their own shows back on the air.
Plus I don’t get how Leno could be a WGA member if he’s ostensibly in management. I mean he’s the boss of everyone on the show, including the writers.
I think the aim of unions, in theory, is admirable. Especially given the working conditions that existed in America during the industrial revolution. But today they serve only to fatten the pockets of union leaders, raise prices, and destroy companies.
What was Eastern Airlines’ slogan?
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I think it was “We Have To Earn Our Wings Every Day”. I remember when they ceased operations. I worked at a travel agency then and we worked 3 days non-stop to try to get all our stranded customers into other airlines. Lorenzo was a big reason for the closing as he dismantled and sold most of the profitable parts of the airline to Continental, which he also owned. The Unions gave it the final blow, demanding more and more from an airline that was on the verge of closing. I remember the Union President, (I can’t remember his name) coming on TV and saying “We won”, when the airline closed. It is sad when the Union prefers to see its employees lose their jobs rather than compromise.
We earn our wings everyday.
What I win?
They can always try the “walk and work” strike, where XX% of the union works, and pools their wages with those that don’t. And when they are not working, they walk the picket line.
ah crap beaten to the punch. for the union prez, i want to say ed or john lewis, but im not sure..
sorry, i hit some key there, ed or john lewis, lawson, something like that.. i remember some t-shirts at the time.. there were several strikes going on at the time.. i think iberia air, and the jai alai fronton too. they would all hold super picket lines, and i remember seeing the tshirts with that name..
I think the union prez was Charlie Bryan. What a shame they let that airline sink.
I think the writers strike is a bit different though. From the little I know, the writers are truly being shafted as far as internet proceeds, etc.