Back to work…

Though I myself am not entirely cool with the terms of the deal we received from the AMPTP last week, the WGA voted yesterday, by a whopping 92.5% to end the strike. So, as of today, the strike is over…

There is still, of course, the little matter of ratifying the new contract. That vote will take place on February 25th, once the membership has had a chance to fully digest the fine print of the proposed deal and distribute what I’m sure will be “lively” pro and con statements on the matter. Man, can’t wait to read some of those con statements!

The thing that really galls me though, and the reason I voted (by proxy, thanks, Patty!) against ending the strike, is that if we don’t ratify the new deal on the 25th, then we would probably have to go back out on strike. Kind of stupid, huh? Not to mention the fact that it would make us look like total jerks coming back to work one week, then leaving again the next.

I think we should have stayed out till we voted to ratify the contract, and then stopped striking. But judging by the overwhelming member support for ending the strike, I’m pretty sure our leaders feel that ratification is kind of a slam dunk. So, as of today, we’re all allowed to go back to work with the same people we’ve been fighting with since November…awkward!

I’m sure things will iron themselves out eventually, but man, it’s times like these I’m glad I write movies. Thankfully, I don’t have to cross our old picket line site at NBC (or any other network) to go back to work today.

But for all the super cool folks I met who do, hang tough, amigos! It’s gonna be a little hairy for a couple weeks, but you’ll get back in the swing of things soon enough. And hey, look at the bright side…if we don’t ratify the new contract, we might just all meet up again in a couple weeks for cold pizza and teamster sandwiches on the picket lines! Yeah!

Either way, have a great day back at work, everyone. Let’s hope this tentative peace with the AMPTP is a lasting one…