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ABC Wins Early Oscar for ‘Most Greed’
One Oscar winner has already being unveiled – but you may not see the presentation when the Academy Awards ceremonies are telecast by ABC-TV on March 23.
. . . . Drum roll . . . .
. . . . And the winner is . . . .
. . . . ABC for “most greed and worst treatment of its employees.”
That “special” statuette was “presented” by members of NABET-CWA, who have been in negotiations with the Disney-owned company for more than a year to replace a contract that expired last March 31.
The presentation came in the form of an advertisement in Daily Variety magazine, the trade publication that is read by everyone in Hollywood and even those who’d like to be there.
The ad accused Disney-ABC of stooping to a new low by “using the Academy Awards broadcast as a weapon against its own employees.”
The ad noted that the Academy and the network have effectively turned over the show’s production to subcontractors and “that means the dedicated NABET union crew that’s become part of the Academy Awards tradition won’t be there this year. It’s one more petty act of intimidation and harassment by Disney-ABC that will drive workers and the company further apart.”
Even Business Week magazine might agree with the NABET-CWA assessment. The influential publication recently judged Disney’s board of directors as the worst in the nation.
NABET-CWA’s Oscar for greed was actually only one of a number of events and mobilization activities that NABET-CWA members have staged in recent weeks as part of an escalating campaign to win a fair contract at ABC for 2,700 NABET-CWA workers.
In another event, on Feb. 24, about 75 NABET-CWA members and friends from Jobs with Justice greeted 3,000 persons attending Disney’s 75th anniversary shareholders meeting at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center hotel in Kansas City, Mo. Directors had chosen the site for the meeting in honor of the memory of the late Walt Disney, who got his start as a young cartoonist in Kansas City.
Outside the Crown Center, however, NABET-CWA members were not in the mood to honor the memory: Instead, they handed out golf tees that called ABC a “sub-par employer” and distributed handbills accusing the corporation of wasting stockholders’ money.
Inside, NABET-CWA President John Clark revealed that the company is expected to throw away $11 million this year by paying “shadow crews” to stand around at major sporting events, ready to replace union workers.
He told stockholders they should sharply question a management that demands the right to cut health benefits.
Clark said a company that can afford a $9 billion contract with the National Football League, a $140 million severance package for Michael Ovitz (who got fired because he didn’t measure up), and a $100 million settlement with Jeffrey Katzenberg, certainly can afford $392 a month for health coverage for its workforce.
Arguing that a union contract would be a good investment for the shareholders at Disney/ABC, Clark urged management to stop replacing experienced, highly-skilled technicians and camerapersons with temporary workers and to start investing in quality programming and the people who help create it.
Clark also outlined a series of other unacceptable management bargaining proposals, including lowering pension contributions and attacks on part-time workers that would reduce their payments in lieu of fringe benefits.
NABET-CWA last met with ABC on Nov. 21 under the auspices of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. Network coordinator John Krieger said the union stands ready to resume bargaining “when management is ready to meet some of our reasonable needs.”
NABET-CWA represents technicians, camera operators, news writers and numerous other workers at ABC.
. . . . Drum roll . . . .
. . . . And the winner is . . . .
. . . . ABC for “most greed and worst treatment of its employees.”
That “special” statuette was “presented” by members of NABET-CWA, who have been in negotiations with the Disney-owned company for more than a year to replace a contract that expired last March 31.
The presentation came in the form of an advertisement in Daily Variety magazine, the trade publication that is read by everyone in Hollywood and even those who’d like to be there.
The ad accused Disney-ABC of stooping to a new low by “using the Academy Awards broadcast as a weapon against its own employees.”
The ad noted that the Academy and the network have effectively turned over the show’s production to subcontractors and “that means the dedicated NABET union crew that’s become part of the Academy Awards tradition won’t be there this year. It’s one more petty act of intimidation and harassment by Disney-ABC that will drive workers and the company further apart.”
Even Business Week magazine might agree with the NABET-CWA assessment. The influential publication recently judged Disney’s board of directors as the worst in the nation.
NABET-CWA’s Oscar for greed was actually only one of a number of events and mobilization activities that NABET-CWA members have staged in recent weeks as part of an escalating campaign to win a fair contract at ABC for 2,700 NABET-CWA workers.
In another event, on Feb. 24, about 75 NABET-CWA members and friends from Jobs with Justice greeted 3,000 persons attending Disney’s 75th anniversary shareholders meeting at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center hotel in Kansas City, Mo. Directors had chosen the site for the meeting in honor of the memory of the late Walt Disney, who got his start as a young cartoonist in Kansas City.
Outside the Crown Center, however, NABET-CWA members were not in the mood to honor the memory: Instead, they handed out golf tees that called ABC a “sub-par employer” and distributed handbills accusing the corporation of wasting stockholders’ money.
Inside, NABET-CWA President John Clark revealed that the company is expected to throw away $11 million this year by paying “shadow crews” to stand around at major sporting events, ready to replace union workers.
He told stockholders they should sharply question a management that demands the right to cut health benefits.
Clark said a company that can afford a $9 billion contract with the National Football League, a $140 million severance package for Michael Ovitz (who got fired because he didn’t measure up), and a $100 million settlement with Jeffrey Katzenberg, certainly can afford $392 a month for health coverage for its workforce.
Arguing that a union contract would be a good investment for the shareholders at Disney/ABC, Clark urged management to stop replacing experienced, highly-skilled technicians and camerapersons with temporary workers and to start investing in quality programming and the people who help create it.
Clark also outlined a series of other unacceptable management bargaining proposals, including lowering pension contributions and attacks on part-time workers that would reduce their payments in lieu of fringe benefits.
NABET-CWA last met with ABC on Nov. 21 under the auspices of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. Network coordinator John Krieger said the union stands ready to resume bargaining “when management is ready to meet some of our reasonable needs.”
NABET-CWA represents technicians, camera operators, news writers and numerous other workers at ABC.