We have no control over it, and it's very frustrating. With the writers and studios far apart, the likelihood of a walkout still looms. Talks adjourned late Saturday, with the two sides agreeing to resume discussions Monday as they head toward a May 2 expiration of the existing contract. Although the talks are considered a hopeful sign, negotiations remain delicate. Writers want big increases in the residuals they are paid when their work airs on foreign TV, cable TV and via the Internet and when videocassettes and DVDs are sold.
Studios say an explosion in costs has squeezed their profits.
But even if writers settle, studios and actors have yet to even schedule bargaining sessions to replace a deal that will expire July 1. Exactly how many workers in Southern California are affected isn't clear because comprehensive statistics are lacking on the nomadic, often freelance work force making up the entertainment economy. We're just working stiffs . . . For thousands of workers who joined Hollywood's ranks during the work explosion and labor peace of the 1990s, a strike is something altogether new. As a result, union leaders for the last six months have been sounding alarms in words that sometimes resemble warnings of natural disaster.