Leaders from the MLB, NFL and NHL labor unions, as well as ESPN’s Bomani Jones, showed solidarity with the striking Writers Guild of America by attending a sports-themed picket event Wednesday in New York City.
Picketers dressed in jerseys and other team attire congregated outside the CBS Broadcast Center on W. 57th St. for the demonstration from 9 a.m. to noon. Wednesday marked the 86th day of the strike, through which the writers seek a new contract from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers organization representing many of the Hollywood studios.
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WGA picketers demonstrated outside the CBS building in New York on Wednesday. (Writers Guild of America)
Bruce Meyer, the deputy executive director of the MLB Players Association, was the first speaker Wednesday. His union engaged in a three-month work stoppage that delayed the start of 2022 season before it reached a new collective bargaining agreement.
“The message [Meyer] gave to our folks is: We’re all about making good arguments at the bargaining table, but the most important thing that the companies will listen to is power,” said Lowell Peterson, the executive director of the Writers Guild of America, East, which organized Wednesday’s event.
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“The power that the writers guild has demonstrated by being out on the picket line is what will win a contract, as much as the thoughtful and well-researched arguments that we’ve been making at the bargaining table. I think people appreciated hearing that from someone who has negotiated a lot of professional athlete contracts.”
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Much of the disagreement between the writers guild and the studios relates to residuals from streaming projects. The Hollywood actors guild, SAG-AFTRA, also went on strike this month, representing the industry’s first double strike in more than 60 years.
The AMPTP did not immediately respond to a Daily News request for comment.
Lloyd Howell (second from left), Bomani Jones (back), Marty Walsh (third from right) and Bruce Meyer (second from right). (Writers Guild of America)
In the nearly three months since the writers strike started, organizers have set up themed picketing events to keep participants engaged. Other themes have included animation, horror and comedy writing.
Marty Walsh, the executive director of the NHL Players Association, and Lloyd Howell, who was elected last month to the same role with the NFL Players Union, also spoke Wednesday, as did Jones, an ESPN employee for more than a decade who currently hosts the network’s “The Right Time” podcast.
“Bomani was very thoughtful about how we’re at an inflection point by fighting big companies that are trying to undermine sustainable careers, which is one of the themes of our entire strike,” Peterson said of Jones, who is a WGA and SAG member. “[The speakers] each contributed something powerful and they got a lot of cheers.”
The event took place hours before Major League Baseball announced Commissioner Rob Manfred’s term had been extended into 2029. The current CBA is scheduled to end after the 2026 season.
“It’s fair to say that the power of baseball players walking out [before the 2022 season] was a very big part of today’s discussion,” Peterson said. “Bruce said, ‘That’s our main weapon. Our ability to withhold our labor is what gives us the ability to bargain fair value for our services.’ Their contract is going to be up again, so we will certainly support them if they find they need to strike themselves.”
MLB, NFL, NHL unions support striking writers guild
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