“This is exactly how strikes are broken”

Stephen King weighs in on Bill Maher’s decision to re-start his “Real Time” show on HBO.

From the Los Angeles Times:

Bill Maher announced Wednesday evening that his HBO show “Real Time With Bill Maher” will be returning to the air, without “writers or writing,” joining several struck daytime talk shows resuming production as Hollywood’s strikes continue with no end in sight. Maher is the first late-night host to make the move.

Maher said he supported the striking writers but that the stoppage had become too hard on nonstriking production staff who have been out of work since May. Maher’s move echoes the previous 2007–08 writers’ strike, when he restored his show mid-stoppage (along with hosts Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien) without writers or writing, and will likely face picketing by the Writers Guild of America.

Here is his announcement on Twitter:

Bill Maher’s net worth is a reported $140M. He could easily pay his entire staff from his own pocket. But no. He’s going to break with his fellow Guild members and, thereby, jeopardize our efforts to force the AMPTP to agree to a fair deal. Stephen King weighed in with this:

It’s true. This is exactly the strategy the SUITS have used in the past to break Guild membership: Back channel machinations with a few key WGA individuals to go back to work, then fracture the alliance.

I don’t think it will work this time.

Which leads me to my thoughts on the matter:

For the rest of the Los Angeles Times article, go here.

#WGAStrong

For the latest updates on the strike and news resources, go here.

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