Edwards Supports Writers' Strike, Speaks At Rally

November 27, 2007 5:59 p.m. EST

New York, NY (AHN) - Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards continued his support for the Writers Guild of America by speaking at a rally at Manhattan's Washington Square Park on Tuesday.

"It's about making sure these big corporations, these big media conglomerates don't step on your rights - that you have a real opportunity to share in the work that you've been producing," the Democratic presidential hopeful told the striking television writers.

The Writers Guild of America board voted unanimously to go on strike on November 5 after negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers President Nick Counter over royalties from DVD sales and new media reached an impasse. It is the first such strike in the industry in 20 years.

"After three and a half months of bargaining, the AMPTP still has not responded to a single one of our important proposals. Every issue that matters to writers, including Internet reuse, original writing for new media, DVDs, and jurisdiction, has been ignored. This is completely unacceptable," the union said in a statement on the first day of strike.

Producers and networks have repeatedly said that the concern over royalties is a non-starter, and that no business model has yet been established for the Internet.

Edwards, who has canceled guest appearances on "The View" and "Ellen" until the strike is settled, pledged he would work for the rights of union workers as president. He also revealed several proposals to protect the middle class, such as the creation of a "Borrowers Security Act" that will keep credit card companies from charging consumers large and irregular interest payments.

David Chase, creator and writer for "The Sopranos," told the Associated Press that Edwards "said some very important things."

"The people here at this rally and this union come up with the ideas that make large, large amounts of money. Those ideas have value every time they're used," Chase added.

Edwards, one of North Carolina's top plaintiffs' attorneys before becoming a politician, had previously joined a picket line in front of the CBS Burbank studios. He also released a statement early this month in support of the union, saying the strike was "an important battle to protect creative rights."

All top Democratic presidential contenders have said they will boycott a CBS debate scheduled for December 10 if CBS news writers decide to join the strike.