WEBVTT - WGA Strike Update with Franchesca Ramsey

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<v Speaker 1>Jayshn Low, Wayne, why don't you point seven? It's because

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<v Speaker 1>I've ham Los Angeles, Ryan Seacrest here, so in the

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<v Speaker 1>morning when we pass Warner Brothers Studios, at least that's

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<v Speaker 1>the way I come in to Burbank. And actually when

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<v Speaker 1>I left yesterday I saw picketers.

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<v Speaker 2>Walking across the bridge. Yep.

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<v Speaker 1>And this is a big deal, right, So what's happening

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<v Speaker 1>with your favorite shows? The writers gil of America on strike.

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<v Speaker 1>So if you have driven by any of the major studios,

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<v Speaker 1>you've seen people writers out picketing. And Francesca Ramsey's going

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<v Speaker 1>to join us right now as a member of the WGA.

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<v Speaker 1>Haven't written for I Carly and the Oscars and the

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<v Speaker 1>Nightly Show on Comedy Central. Francesca, it's Ryan and Cisnein

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<v Speaker 1>and Tanya.

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<v Speaker 2>How are you?

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<v Speaker 3>I'm doing pretty good. Thank you so much for having me.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a pleasure because we want to know a little

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<v Speaker 1>bit more and understand from your point of view how

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<v Speaker 1>it's going. But where do you hold up your sign?

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<v Speaker 3>Normally I've been bouncing. I've been at the Disney Studios recently,

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<v Speaker 3>and yesterday I was at Paramount.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm looking at a sign here.

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<v Speaker 1>Someone was holding up saying chat GPT can't replace me.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm looking at show support for the writers here in Hollywood,

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<v Speaker 1>and you think about the amount of scripted programming that's

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<v Speaker 1>now versus years ago, and it is the world we

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<v Speaker 1>live in. And what are you hearing on the picket

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<v Speaker 1>lines about progress or how long this is actually going

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<v Speaker 1>to take to get it right?

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<v Speaker 2>Francesca, I mean, the mood.

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<v Speaker 3>Has been so positive despite the circumstances. There's incredible solidarity

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<v Speaker 3>on the picket line. We've had so many union show

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<v Speaker 3>to support us, including members of SAgs, the DGA, and IAZI.

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<v Speaker 3>Even the LA bus drivers are honking when they pass us.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, we don't know how long this is going

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<v Speaker 3>to take, but we are ready to fight, and we're

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<v Speaker 3>fighting because we know that we will win.

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<v Speaker 2>What's the biggest fight.

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<v Speaker 3>So, you know, despite what many people assume, many TV

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<v Speaker 3>writers are not making a living wage while Hollywood CEOs

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<v Speaker 3>are picking home millions. And this is because TV shows

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<v Speaker 3>have shorter seasons. Writers rooms have gotten smaller, and the

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<v Speaker 3>residuals that usually are meant to sustain us between jobs

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<v Speaker 3>have gotten incredibly low because of streaming. And so these

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<v Speaker 3>are all the things that we were trying to secure

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<v Speaker 3>in our contract with the studios, and unfortunately we were

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<v Speaker 3>not able to come to a resolution, which is what

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<v Speaker 3>led to us striking.

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<v Speaker 1>So I remember hearing just before the strike happened that

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<v Speaker 1>it was going to happen. My was the buzz, Wise,

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<v Speaker 1>this is going to happen, There will be a strike.

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<v Speaker 1>What are you hearing? What is the buzz? What are

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<v Speaker 1>people saying? What are the rumblings about when this will

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<v Speaker 1>be resolved?

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<v Speaker 3>Here's the thing. The writers are ready to talk. The

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<v Speaker 3>ball is in the studio's court, but they need to

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<v Speaker 3>come to the table with the serious offer. And so

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<v Speaker 3>far our responses have not been serious. And that's why

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<v Speaker 3>we knew a strike was potentially eminent. Because they refused

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<v Speaker 3>to talk to us about AI. They refuse to discuss

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<v Speaker 3>fixed residuals for streaming, they refuse to talk about minimum

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<v Speaker 3>writers for writers' rooms, and they refuse to discuss paid

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<v Speaker 3>steps for future writers. And I'm sorry, Ryan, that is

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<v Speaker 3>not how negotiating works.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I know, we need two people at the table

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<v Speaker 1>or two sides at the table for a negotiation to

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<v Speaker 1>to start and to make any progress.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, you think about it's a good point.

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<v Speaker 1>The TV season used to be twenty two episodes was

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<v Speaker 1>in order, and now you get eight, you get ten,

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<v Speaker 1>you get short orders, right, so everything's sort of everything's changed.

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<v Speaker 3>Those shorter orders are hurting the writers on the back

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<v Speaker 3>end because they have less time to make the shows

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<v Speaker 3>that are important to you. They have less time to

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<v Speaker 3>devote to those characters, and they're not being paid because

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<v Speaker 3>they're not having longer writers' rooms to create that work

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<v Speaker 3>that then goes on to make millions of dollars for

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<v Speaker 3>the studio.

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<v Speaker 1>So the two sides are not at the table now,

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<v Speaker 1>is what you're telling us, And that needs to change.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, the writers are ready and the studios, unfortunately have

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<v Speaker 3>stone wall dust on a number of issues.

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<v Speaker 1>How long do you and your peers think they can

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<v Speaker 1>stonewall what's the reality of that?

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<v Speaker 3>You know, we are putting some really great measures in

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<v Speaker 3>place to show them how serious we are. We've gotten

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<v Speaker 3>great support, but we've also shut down production because of

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<v Speaker 3>the writers that make these shows happen are standing in

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<v Speaker 3>solidarity with us. Avid, Elementary, Stranger Things, Severance, SNL, the

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<v Speaker 3>Late Night shows, Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, the Tonight Show. We

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<v Speaker 3>are prepared to go as long as needed to show

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<v Speaker 3>the studios that you cannot make these shows without our

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<v Speaker 3>hard work are intelligence, the stories, the characters that make

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<v Speaker 3>you laugh and make you cry and make you think.

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<v Speaker 3>So there's a lot of resilience on the picket line.

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<v Speaker 3>And again, when the studios are ready to come to

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<v Speaker 3>the table with a serious offer that takes us seriously

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<v Speaker 3>and gives us the mere two percent of the billion's

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<v Speaker 3>worth of profits that we're asking for, that's when the

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<v Speaker 3>strike will end.

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<v Speaker 1>Francesca Ramsey, la writer out there, WGA member on the

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<v Speaker 1>picket lines, thank you so much for calling and giving

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<v Speaker 1>us your view and an update. And I hope the

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<v Speaker 1>right people are hearing this right now from you.

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<v Speaker 3>Oh my god, thank you so much. Ryan. Just to

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<v Speaker 3>let everybody know we would love your support on the

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<v Speaker 3>picket lines. You can visit us at WGA contract twenty

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<v Speaker 3>twenty three dot org to find pickets happening in New

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<v Speaker 3>York and LA with upcoming locations across the country coming soon.

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<v Speaker 2>Francesca, you take care, Thank you so much again.

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<v Speaker 1>Good luck all right, Thank you by you know, she

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<v Speaker 1>makes a great point. The shows that make you think,

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<v Speaker 1>make you laugh, make you all those things that we

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<v Speaker 1>need as balance to the real life issues. You need

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<v Speaker 1>escapism through scripted entertainment to get.

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<v Speaker 2>The stress off of your shoulders from real life.

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<v Speaker 1>Absolutely, And you know how bad chat GPT is okay, because.

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<v Speaker 3>We've been doing the scripts here on the show and

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<v Speaker 3>that is not going to be able to replace them.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, all right, coming back here at Kiss half m

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<v Speaker 1>hang on