this post was submitted on 30 Jul 2023
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On general principal I always support workers rights to strike and applaud them for fighting for a higher wage.
My personal opinion in this particular case: Many writers in this industry very much overvalue their worth, especially considering the low-brow content they create (10 years or more of capeshit), how replaceable they are (barely any original idea in sight), the low general quality of their work (I'm not even watching this shit for free, you'd have to pay me) and the encroaching power of AI. I've never seen such a long-string of garbage writing coming from Hollywood (or maybe I'm just lucky having observed a golden age of TV) and I've not seen a similar decline in quality from other craftsmen (cinematography, acting, sound and music...) in the industry. Maybe writers can make some short-term gains, but unless they hone their craft to bring it above the level of what ChatGPT can create right now, they are going to lose their power struggle in the long run.
Often there are options. Speaking about music: A spotify subscription is most likely useless for supporting smaller artists, but buying their merch or stuff from bandcamp is a no-brainer if you have the money.
The average salary for a Script Writer is $64,000/yr. If you're simply looking at the value they produce, that's bloody peanuts.
And you say they're replacable, but you could say the same thing about electricians, and they have a union and strike. Of course, the Electrician produces less value but makes on average $10,000 more than the average Script Writer ($75,000).
I'd also like to remind you to separate the end product from the quality of the Script Writer. They do a skilled job and work hard, and they are only one cog in a machine. I have had this exact conversation with managers and execs in my own field who wanted to hold individual contributors accountable for things that simply were not their fault.
Electricians are replaceable as in you dould hire another or completely do away with ?
As in "could hire another".
The best place for unions is commoditizable skilled-labor jobs. You CAN be devalued, but you have inherent value that should be maintained by not letting yourself get dragged into a race-to-the-bottom with powerful companies.