My congratulations to the membership of the Screen Actors Guild for voting overwhelmingly for the new contract.



I have found in my years in labor negotiations, there will always be hotheads who want to fight on, no matter how lopsided the odds. That is when cooler heads need to come forward and make their wishes known. The extremists will always claim to speak for all. That's when it is necessary for reasonable people to prevail. It's what Jefferson meant when he said that freedom is not a gift, but a responsibility.

That's not to say I don't agree with the goals of those in your guild who want to get a more equitable share of things. It's just that these contracts negotiations are like innings in a baseball game. This contract may not be the best, but it's what you can get for now. In a few years, it will be time to come to the plate and do it again. And the world, and certainly the economic situation will be different.

Voltaire said there are no complete victories, and no complete defeats. For now in this bad economy, it was vital to restore labor peace in Hollywood, so we all can get back on our feet.

By the way, the Animation Guilds' new contract negotiations are happening this summer. Stay Tooned...