When it comes to labor brotherhood in Hollywood, neither the guild representing writers nor the union for blue-collar entertainment workers is sticking to the script.
Long-simmering tensions have worsened in the last month since Thomas Short, president of the powerful International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, rebuked Writers Guild of America leaders in a letter to his members suggesting that the guild was out of touch with writers because it was run by "certain officers who don't work in the industry."
Short went further in an interview with the Los Angeles Times last week, accusing guild officials of destabilizing labor relations in Hollywood, where his union represents 30,000 workers, with talk that hints of a potential strike.
Such a public spat between the two powerful entertainment unions is unusual, underscoring rising labor tensions as new leaders of the writers' guild and Screen Actors Guild promise to take a much harder line with companies. Major studios already are drawing up contingency plans for a possible strike, even though the contract with writers has nearly two years to go and the actors' pact won't expire until 2008.
"It's rare to have one union publicly criticize another, even rarer for a union to criticize another union's officers," said Harley Shaiken, a UC Berkeley professor who specializes in labor issues. "It says a lot about the current climate."
Further angering Short are the guild's organizing efforts under Patric M. Verrone, president of the WGA, West. Short believes that Verrone is stepping on his toes by trying to organize animation writers as well as reality TV editors -- two groups that historically fall under Short's umbrella.
"How can I work with someone that throws a javelin through my heart?" Short said.
Verrone said he was baffled by Short's outbursts, adding that criticism of the guild's leaders' resumes was unfounded. Verrone has written for such shows as "Futurama" and "Rugrats" and is working on Cartoon Network's animated series "Class of 3000."
"Our board of directors for the first time is made up almost entirely of people who are currently working members of the industry," Verrone said.
As for the organizing efforts, he said, the guild is primarily seeking to represent writers who aren't covered by any union. The push to organize animation scribes comes at a time when the genre is booming thanks to the proliferation of computer-generated films and shows. Many animation writers would prefer to join the writers' guild because it offers better pay.
