Posts by Petra
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Well the MEAA(NZ) email of the 26th did note:
For a variety of reasons none of these attempts had been successful.Well, I think they should have said what one or three of those primary reasons were (yes, I live in an alternate reality), because "a variety of reasons" is fudgy enough to give the impression that those reasons were simply that Peter Jackson was being a spoilt brat and none of *his* reasons had any merit - they simply asinine excuses or something.
That's how it reads to me, anyway.
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I was so furious last night I had to go drink a few beers and take a bath :/
You need to be furious to do this?
I dunno, you writers are just so weird! :p
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@Peter Cox, they have verified that statement themselves
From the latest letter sent to NZAE members from MEAA:
All NZ Equity sought was to meet with the production and discuss the
conditions under which performers would be engaged. The request was in the first instance made privately, without the glare of the media on August 17Ahh, but they didn't mention in the letter to their members that the request was actually illegal, and that Peter Jackson had no choice but to ignore the request for a meeting, because if he were to meet with them he would be engaging in illegal activity.
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Thanks for the link to the kiwipolitico column, Cecelia.
I like his angle. :)
...the incompetence shown by AE in this dispute would never have thrived in a more robust industrial relations culture: that is to say, one in which union membership and participation was the norm rather than the exception, in which more workers had an understanding of what their union was there for and the union in question understood their industry’s needs and agenda better.
Fundamentally, the entire problem here is AE’s lack of a mandate: even leaving aside the fact that they had no legal standing as a NZ union until this time last week, the trouble is that they represent a tiny fraction of the actors who form a tiny fraction of those responsible for the production of any film, and yet they have the apparent ability to blacklist that entire industry (whom they don’t represent). Even the most ardent trade unionist can surely see the moral hazard here. All those who we’ve seen fronting AE have been the best-respected and most-established actors; actors whose careers aren’t in material danger regardless of the outcome of The Hobbit. But what of those actors who are genuinely struggling, whose faces don’t appear in tens of thousands of living rooms every Tuesday night, and who don’t top “best-of” lists? And what of the silent legions of drivers, designers, artists, labourers, riggers, electricians, carpenters and caterers who are the real motive engine behind the film industry? Are their needs well-served by the actions of a few prima donnas who represent them without their consent? Apparently not, which is why a thousand of them turned out to protest the actions of that unelected few.
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I was party to discussions with MEAA and SPADA during the Outrageous Fortune stoush. MEAA on behalf of the cast were demanding an industry-wide standard contract for Series 6. SPP couldn't provide this and referred MEAA to SPADA as the appropriate body to discuss this with. SPADA offered to meet with MEAA and the agents to discuss the Pink Book guidelines. MEAA refused to meet. They were only interested in a binding, industry-wide contract.
Surely bigger wins are more likely with multiple smaller wins? It may even mean you meet your ultimate goals quicker. (When I say "you", I'm not talking about you, Simon Bennett, I'm talking about the MEAA).
Slower and steadier advancements would see growth in the membership base and accumulated strength in the industry, surely?
The grandiose "we want everything everywhere right now" approach has actually put them far behind in their goals, as far as I can see.
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Shame you can't do your fisking in an email to send out to all NZAE and MEAA members.
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Wow, watched Simon Whipp on Campbell Live - what a snake.
Hi, Simon Bennett - after reading Jed Brophy's insightful and informative statement earlier, NZAE's letter to it's members leaves me speechless.
In both cases, there is no mention of the legal issues surrounding Peter Jackson's inability to meet with an unregistered and illegal union, for a conversation that would have been, y'know, illegal.
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Which was precisely what I thought the unlovely Key was saying when he said there would be "no bidding war."
Translated: "The government will do whatever you want except get into a bidding war."Damn, I'm naive! But slowly becoming less so.
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lol
I often wake up with an 'earworm' each morning. Now I think Oma hopiti will be my morning earworm for the next few years.
Damn you, Andre Alessi! Damn you to earworm hell! *shakes fist* -
Thanks, Andre - a quick scan of the Act tells me that they are pretty well protected, so I don't see how the SFO can demand the info from NBR...
EDIT: Never mind, just saw Matthew Poole's post, which answers that question for me.