Anyone who’s ever seen a so-called “reality show” being made knows that reality has nothing to do with these productions. They were taping one in my neighborhood this week and as I walked by the set it was funny to hear the director feeding lines to the “real” person starring in the show.
That’s why I was particularly pleased to hear about the Writers Guild’s organizing campaign against the producers of reality television. I was even more excited when I heard about their suit against Fox Broadcasting and the producers of several popular reality shows.
The suit alleges that writers were forced to work overtime without compensation and were forced to falsify time cards.
I have a reputation for “giving away the store” when it comes to low budget, indie producers who are just trying to get their films made, but I have no sympathy for multimillionaires who get where they are on the backs of working people.
How rich does any one person or company have to be?
Plus, it’s nice to see a labor union doing the one thing that truly has an impact on the lives of workers, but that most unions refuse to do: Organize.
Good luck, WGAw!
Stick it to the man!
