UH Founders Advocate A Vote Before Decision is Made About Lifting The Strike

For clarity -- and because not everyone could get to one of the meetings last night in NY or LA -- here's a handy little FAQ for some of the questions we're hearing.

What's the 48 hour vote for again?

It's a vote on whether or not to lift the strike (which in the Constitution is called "the restraining order".) If the vote passes, writers can go back to work.

It's not a vote on the contract,

This email was just sent to strike captains. It contains info on the NegCom vote, the Board and Council votes, the pending vote to lift the strike, and the pending vote to ratify the contract.

DEAR STRIKE CAPTAINS,

This morning, the WGA Negotiating Committee unanimously and unconditionally recommended the terms of the proposed 2008 MBA to the WGAW Board and WGAE Council. The Board and Council

Voting on whether or not to lift the restraining order (legal jargon for calling off the strike) will take place in person at two meetings, one in NYC and one in LA.

If you cannot attend the meetings, you may vote by proxy. Today, there has been some confusion on what "voting by proxy" means. Faxing in a proxy vote form is NOT the same as voting. You are designating a fellow WGA member to vote

I don't agree with Harlan on this one, but Ellison unbridled is a wild read whether you're with him or not. For another perspective on the WGA's MBA ratification vote, go to:http://unitedhollywood.blogspot.com/2008/02/harlan-ellison-reacts-to-proposed-wga.htmlMy "yes" on ratification goes into the mail tomorrow, blue bottom and all...

We've been hearing a lot of procedural questions in the last few days, so in an act of serious selflessness, we decided to do a little paging through the WGA Constitution so you don't have to.

Here are the questions we've been hearing most:

Can the Board lift the restraining order (meaning the strike) without a general vote of the membership?

Yes. In Article IX, Section 3b, it states that the

This was sent out today by the WGA:

LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK – The membership of the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) today voted overwhelmingly in favor of lifting the restraining order and ending their 100-day strike that began on Nov. 5. 3,775 writers turned out in Los Angeles and New York to cast ballots or fax in proxies, with 92.5% voting

In the coming days, we'll be running pieces on the proposed contract.

We'll include our own takes on what's good and bad, the official "pro" and "con" statements that will be issued by the Guild, and -- we hope -- op-ed pieces submitted to us here by readers.

Feel free to submit your analyses of the deal points and your opinions about the contract to unitedhollywood@gmail.com. We won't be able

Having been back at work for a week and a half now, I almost forget that the WGA membership hasn't actually ratified the new contract yet. That most likely will happen tomorrow (Monday, 2/25), since aside from a few comments here and there (and Harlan Ellison's vociferous opposition), it appears that most WGA folks are ready to take the deal.

Status Quo
877-752-7391 or text 1 to 23882

JabbaWockeeZ
877-752-7392 or text 2 to 23882

Kaba Modern
877-752-7393 or text 3 to 23882

Or you can vote online here. You may vote until 4am EDT Saturday.

There is more certainty in my mind about who to vote for this upcoming presidential election, than there is about trivial wedding details.

Planning a wedding has proven to be a very challenging endeavor. I usually try to make a decision and move on from it, but with the wedding, I find myself revisiting every decision that I made, and thinking, "Should I have done something else?"

One thing