Mark’s Soap Box

I do so enjoy the Hollywood Union fights. They show the reality of life, that the Unions choose to ignore. Everyone competes, the question is always how much. The Hollywood Union fights are the greatest illustrator of the failed Union/Liberal Ideology. The “news” media, liberals, and the usual collection of power-mad Politicians just ignore it and continue as if Unions are still relevant.

It’s about the Unity

Well they say it’s about unity, it’ not. It’s about getting what they believe they deserve guaranteed to them. Problem is, there are no guarantees.

“What we can’t do is pit artist against artist,” he [Clooney] wrote.

Of course what he meant was Actor against Actor. You see the Writers and Directors — artists all — already have agreed to contracts, and now the Producers are on board (AFTRA). It’s the actors (SAG) who are engaged in colluding to shake down Hollywood,mostly because they waited.

AFTRA has already reached a tentative agreement with Hollywood studios. SAG wants AFTRA members to vote against the deal, saying its approval will handcuff SAG at the bargaining table.

Both unions’ current contracts are set to expire Monday, leaving Hollywood on edge about a possible replay of the 100-day writers strike that ended in February.

If they vote against it, then SAG make their outrageous claims and possibly get some of them. Clooney and SAG want other Artists — producers in this instance — to do what is in the best interest of others and not for themselves. Ironically SAG won’t do similar.

Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin and others have joined hundreds of actors in signing an online petition urging actors to ratify the AFTRA pact.

Meanwhile, Jack Nicholson, Viggo Mortensen and Holly Hunter have endorsed a SAG ad calling for AFTRA to return to the negotiating table to get a better deal.

Clooney called the fight counterproductive.

It’s only counterproductive because it means that SAG is not in the lead. If SAG had made a deal first, then it would be Clooney demanding that AFTRA ratify.

Most liberals do not think … nor do they want anyone having a dialog that they don’t approve, don’t you dare think for yourself.

“Because the one thing you can be sure of is that stories about Jack Nicholson vs. Tom Hanks only strengthens the negotiating power” of the studios, he said.

No it doesn’t. It points out the problem with the Union mentality, and the fact that not everyone agrees with you. Get that Clooney? Also it shows that you are no longer in the lead, and that is problem for you.

Beyond that, why do spoiled Rich actors need a Union? They are not “labor”. Few if any actors are more than temporary employees, yet they think they deserve better than anyone else in this country. Oh there are peculiarities to actor/director/writer life; boo-hoo get over it, act like an adult.

The best thing that could happen to American Film Industry is for the Unions to disappear. However they don’t want that since Unions make it easier overall to do business. That’s what happens when you have a monopoly. You use Unions to make your life easier.

I wonder if they will have a ‘blacklist’ like the writers did after their strike?

Tags: aftra, sag, union, actor, actress, strike, producer, hollywood