It’s Time For The WGA To Invoke The Nuclear Option
The WGA has noted their opposition to a potential Paramount/WB merger but they need to go further.
Last week the WGA East and West issued a joint statement opposing the potential buyout of Warner Bros. by, realistically anyone but specifically in this case Paramount. We’ve litigated and relitigated this issue over and over at this point, and the WGA has a robust history of opposing mergers like this, but this time is different and they should not be afraid to do more than write a strongly worded letter to the regulators.
First and foremost, the idea of any labor association “working with regulators” is naïve with this administration. They’ve been attempting to gut the National Labor Relations Board almost since day one and all the regulatory agencies have been purged and replaced with loyalist sycophants who do not have the interests of the American people at heart. You can write them a letter, schedule appointments, do whatever you want, but if this administration wants Larry Ellison or whoever else to be in charge of whatever form Warner Bros. takes under a potential deal, it’ll pass regardless of the impact on competition or jobs.
We’ve talked before about the impact on competition from a potential buyout of Warner Bros. and Discovery by Paramount so what the WGA is contending with is more than just something like Disney buying Fox (which they also opposed), especially if this is eliminating a major streaming platform. Less studios means less movies and shows made, which means less writers. Less writers means less of a bargaining platform for the WGA and less ability for them to advocate.
Arguably, the greatest position of strength the WGA will ever be in for the foreseeable future is right now. They need to use that strength to call for all members to cease work for Paramount and Warner Bros. in the event that this merger goes through. Fine, you want to merge the companies, go ahead but you’re not going to have any work from WGA members. Are you in the WGA and want to work with Warner Bros. or Paramount? Fine, go ahead but you’re not going to get work at any other union shop.
It's not enough for them to do this after the fact either, right now they need to come out and say, unequivocally that if this deal goes through, we will not work for either company. Ideally the DGA, SAG, and IATSE would make similar declarations, but the WGA is the biggest to publicly call out this merger for what it is, an attempt to stifle speech and control the media in favor of the administration. As a union, you do not need to stand up for this, you can and should do whatever you can to stop it, and that goes far beyond strongly noting opposition and saying you’ll work with non-existent regulators to stop it.
