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The beef is about what else?
At the root of the feud is a disagreement over how agents should get paid.
Theway it works, at least in theory, is simple.
And that fee is what most of the fuss is about.
No one on the writers side disagrees that packaging fees are a problem.
I dont trust any of those motherfuckers.
Theres no fucking solidarity in this town.
Most asked for their names to be withheld.
We have to stand firm.
But the potential fallout is real, too.
As a writer of color, its tough enough for us to break in under normal circumstances.
Im more worried about the younger writers just breaking in.
They ride hard for me, as we say around the way.
So its still gonna suck if this goes down.
Theres no sugarcoating that.
But the problem isnt personal.
End of the day, my union is the reason my kid has health care, okay?
And if they say its time to light the pitchforks, then I gotta look for my matches.
If I have to fire my agent, I have to, but I have resentment about that.
On a personal level, my experience with packaging is that Ive benefited from it.
That said, the agencies are a mafia, basically.
Everything they do is totally scandalous.
And its possible that this could make things better.
I think even if the whole system gets blown up, Ill be okay.
My lawyer and my manager can step in.
But the true chaos is for people who are starting out, who just have an agent.
Youre gonna be begging for jobs.
Thats now how this business works.
And maybe David Simon is right it is racketeering!
But the truth is, its always been racketeering.
There was so much pressure to vote yes that there wasnt a lot of room for conversation.
Im not at a top-four agency and my agency doesnt do packaging.
The idea that anyone is going to get staffed off the WGAs job board is totally absurd.
Theyre talking about hosting mixers.
Showrunners are not going to go to a mixer thats insane.
Showrunners are going to hire their friends.
None of it seems to take into account how any part of the hiring process works in practice.
Its all very theoretical.
In some ways, the strike in 2007 felt more fair everybody was in the strike together.
It still affected lower-level writers more, but none of us were working.
Are we just going to be agentless for the foreseeable future?
Its already chaotic, and its only going to become more chaotic.
Adam Conover, creator and host ofAdam Ruins Everything
Im feeling very confident about the WGAs position.
Our normal way of getting those jobs is going to change, but thats about it.
And thats a problem we can solve through solidarity and helping each other out.
I think the guilds plan to fill in the gap left by the agencies will work.
We literally just take submissions.
We still have managers and lawyers, all of those things can pick up the slack.
We still have our networks of other writers.
That makes me feel optimistic.
The WGA has set up a system for staffing submissions, which may work for some people.
I spoke to my manager, and she doesnt seem to support it at all.
If shes not onboard, its going to be much harder to make all this work.
But in the likelihood that no deal is made, I will have to fire my agent.
I am reluctant to have to jeopardize my budding TV career, and my ability to make a living.
You dont want to be the person who doesnt support your guild.
At the same time, I dont feel certain of their negotiating ability.
For some its purely transactional.
Others are close friends and essentially partners.
The idea that weve given the union the authority to make this happen is very nerve-racking.
I have a great relationship with my agents.
I acknowledge that my experience is not the same as everyone elses.
There are a lot of wild rumors floating out there about what will happen next.
So if the writers walk, the agencies might say, Well, best of luck.
Were just not going to rep writers anymore.
In the end, I dont think the guild had any choice.
An early career staff writer on a streaming web connection
Im feeling pretty great right now.
Voting is scary, especially for people who hate confrontation (a lot of writers!
), so I was excited to see a great turnout and an overwhelming yes vote.
It is anxiety-inducing, but now that I understand how sinister packaging is, I do want change.
I had no idea what packaging was before all of this started.
But I really dont know.
I havent worked as a professional writer without my agent, so I dont have a template.
A first-year staff writer on a cable show
I voted no.
I get that theres a conflict of interest.
Essentially, she was scared to because shes asking the people who pay her to pay me more.
Id like to have the confidence in myself to say,Fuck it, Ill be fine.
These rooms are about the best writers, but theyre also about people you want to spend time with.
Relationships are basically the whole business, and even my bloodsucking agent is meant to foster relationships.
A little website is not a fix for that.
Were just going to be floating, and people arent going to give a fuck.
There are going to be casualties for sure.
And they were like: Cheers!
They had this side smile like,This is our next adventure.
And I was like,Excuse me?I thought they were talking about orienting me into this business.
This was more like a disorientation.
