Posts by Jan Farr
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Appreciate your comments, they've always been made in a spirit of goodwill, right back to verbwrangle.
That was always my intention. Thanks for the kindness. Would put big smiley thing here if I knew how.
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Employment Contracts Act was repealed ten years ago
And now they're putting it all back together again - and more!
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Man, it's difficult to watch a bunch of nice actors, who apparently have no sense of the bigger picture, being manipulated to act against their own interests like this
I assume that most of them have sensed and acted in some bigger pictures than most of us have and that they might have some inkling about their own industry. I'm prepared to wait and see because this discussion is going round in circles and I am so bewildered I'm about to try to book myself into a suitable Home.
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IMHE much of the blame lies with an out of touch and overly professionalised union elite, with no workplace experience of the realities faced by those they purport to represent.
Sorry Joe - didn't mean to offend. But your generalisation seemed to require a response. Just in case you think I also generalised I don't think all union workers are perfect - but most try to practice an 'organising' model that focuses on growing and supporting the collective rather than endlessly and uselessly fronting the boss over individual disputes. And, again, I apologise if you already knew that.
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Beautifully said, Alec Morgan.
Joe - you say
much of the blame lies with an out of touch and overly professionalised union elite, with no workplace experience of the realities faced by those they purport to represent.
I have worked for unions for a number of years until relatively recently. Could you be a little out of date? Unions are no longer compulsory, they do not give orders and they are not insurance companies. They are collections of working people, who, of course, have intimate experience of their own industries. They work best with collective action. Not very well for individuals. That's the nature of unions. If you're not getting a good deal from your union, your probably not involved and not prepared, or able, to work collectively. 'Union elite' seems a little oxymoronic, to me.
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While I am truly ambivalent about e-books,
It's another topic I know - sorry Russell - but there has to be a way to compensate authors for e-books. It's incredibly cheap for the publishers - one copy to please them all (see I'm sort of staying on topic) - and it is SO convenient for the reader (I LOVE them - I have a library on my little ipod) - and also quite a bit cheaper. It should be possible to sell heaps more books - and therefore better returns for you and others, dear Islander.
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I reckon there's a big difference between putting in ridiculous hours for peanuts on a local production that everyone knows has little chance of raking in big income and being expected to do the same for a multi-national studio production when evidence of the unevenly-shared huge profits is obvious.
Smart point, Sacha!
Very glad to hear from Helen Kelly that neither side knows what the other side thinks until they've got together. So...um - what have we all been on about?
Alec, I felt uneasy too about comment that - while acknowledging that there are things we don't know and that there may be right on both sides and that the issue may not be simple and that we're pro-union - seemed largely unable to relate to the situation of a workforce whose ongoing employment is always uncertain and who can easily have their conditions undercut by those willing to gamble on fame and stardom tomorrow in exchange for hunger today. But I'm really glad that Craig's your friend again.
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Sorry - see my edit.
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Most people can't eat that kind of stuff.
Yes, but they might value it nonetheless.
They might also get an SAG membership and more work out of it.
You might. And you might win Lotto on Saturday night. Especially if you appeared on a non-union contract.
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Every actor who appears in it gets face-time in something that will be seen by millions of people.
Most people can't eat that kind of stuff.