Home > Views > Blogs > Mixed Media > On the Scene: The Viacom Permalancer Walk-Out
EMAIL
PRINT
RSS
SHARE
TEXT SIZE:
SHARE
Send a copy to me

Separate multiple email addresses (max 20) with commas.

0/1500

Main
It's Curtains for Martha Stewart's '...   'Ugly' Pratt Wasn't VH1's First Choice
Dec 10 2007 4:01PM EST

On the Scene: The Viacom Permalancer Walk-Out

viacom%20walkout%20al%20qaeda

At this very moment, hundreds of long-term Viacom freelancers are gathered outside the MTV studios, protesting the company's back-door attempt to reduce or rescind many of their benefits, just in time for the holidays.

I don't know how many employees in all are affected by the changes, but turnout for the rally seemed pretty good. Managers were "very supportive" of the protest, one freelancer told me. "The word of the day is, 'Do what you gotta do.'"

"Shame on Viacom" was a popular placard, as was "Why, Viacom?" Also ubiquitous was the "WTF?" sign designed to mimic the MTV logo. I asked my freelancer friend who was responsible for that brilliant bit of agitprop -- whoever it is definitely deserves a job with 401k matching -- but he didn't know. "We all showed up in the morning and it was on everybody's desk," he said.

Chants included "I want my benefits," sung to the tune of the Dire Straits lyric "I want my MTV," and the succinct "No pills, no Hills."


-----
Photo credit: Daniel Arnold

See more in

Loading...

Add Your Comment

Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*)
Add a comment

Archive

Previous
Nov
2008
Next


Also in Portfolio.com
Most Read
Most Emailed
Recently Commented