Michael Moore Calls Out ABC Labor Practices On "Good Morning America"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Run time: 05:19 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY1pcoBWp3Q   Posted on YouTube: September 23, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: September 24, 2009 By DU Member: Amerigo Vespucci Views on DU: 10461

 

Michael Moore Calls Out ABC Labor Practices On "Good Morning America" (VIDEO)

Huffington Post | Danny Shea
First Posted: 09-24-09 01:07 PM | Updated: 09-24-09 03:51 PM

Michael Moore called out ABC on "Good Morning America" Wednesday for employing "permalancers," permanent freelancers who are effectively full-time employees but hired on a contract basis, and thus not extended any benefits.

"I'm talking to employees, people backstage here, they don't get to be real employees here because they don't get the benefits, so they're freelancers," Moore told Chris Cuomo.

"And I said 'Guy, I was here two years ago and you were a freelancer' — right backstage here at ABC — he said, 'We call ourselves permalancers now.' They don't get to share in just the basic benefits that an employee used to have who worked here. What's wrong with that? What is wrong with just giving people basic things for their hard work?"

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/24/michael-moore-calls-out-a_n_298605.html

[LaPera]

1. Again, (and again). Thank you Michael Moore!

[cyndensco]

2. Good for Michael Moore.

Doubt he will be invited back any time soon....

[ThatsMyBarack]

68. ABC's loss...

[Ian David]

3. Michael Moore must eat a bowl of "Fuck You" every morning for breakfast.

Whether people agree with him or not, you gotta admit, he has some major balls.

Go, Mike!

[CurtEastPoint]

4. And a nice cup of 'Shut the fuck up!" That made me laugh. You gotta...

hand it to Michael. He does have some major cojones. What a mentor!

[sasquatch]

23. Its called growing up in the rust belt and seeing everything raped and pillaged

You get up and work your dick off every day so some damned NYC businessman can fuck over you, your community and country.

[ej510]

5. The elite continue to fuck us over.

[Uncle Joe]

6. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Amerigo Vespucci.:thumbsup:

[wtbymark]

7. This has been a huge problem in the industry for years

This is how most of your local affiliates operate

[comtec]

42. Sadly this was VERY common in Silicon Valley during the boom

the best thing that could happen to you back then was to be "bought" by a company and made a real employee.
However with labor laws how they are in CA, we still had the ability to get benefits, but it varied WIDELY from agency to agency.
I had one ageny - ALWAYS late with my check, but the money was stupid good and I liked the company - that basically had reimburse care, and it was PISS POOR at that!

I think they paid 150 dollars towards a broken leg!!!!!

I declined figuring even I can afford to pay out of pocket the piss little amount they offered, in addition i would have to pay out of pocket FIRST anyway!

So.. Good on M.M. proving what we need is someone with the balls - the fortitude - to stand up and speak truth to power!

[RoccoR5955]

8. K & R I'll go to see this one on opening night...

as usual for his films!

[AsahinaKimi]

9. Big Mike!

I am so looking forward to this film..October 2nd is too far away!

[FarLeftFist]

10. I have already seen the movie living in NY and let me say this...

This movie is revolutionary and is the greatest film Michael Moore has ever made. Everyone please support this movie.

[defendandprotect]

30. Waiting for it here in NJ . . . think some time in October --?? Will be looking for it --

[Bluenorthwest]

49. October 2 nationwide

[panAmerican]

11. That was so apropos!!!!! Good on ya, Mike!

[Plucketeer]

12. Sadly.........

........we'll all go see this - laugh - bitch - complain and give Michael kudos for presenting it. That'll be it!

[Greyhound]

14. Nothing short of bloody revolution will change this.

Those that own the game are the only people that can change the game as it is set up, and that just isn't going to happen.

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

26. ummm,...no,...they assume they "own" THEIR game,....

But, if they were so confident, they wouldn't be spending gazillions AGAINST health insurance reform.

To the contrary, they know damn well their control depends upon the "mood" of "the people",...that THEY WILL FALL if the American people quit engaging their scheme.

No blood need be spent to take down the power-mongers: not one drop. However, the powers-that-be may engage in blood-letting to save their stance,...as they always have.

Trust me: if there be a revolution, as is happening, it is those who HAVE enormous wealth,...not the many who advantage themselves of constitutional rights. The persons who are suppose to be this government are being suppressed, as I post.

[defendandprotect]

31. Capitalism, itself, is on the line . . . if Obama pulls out MEDICARE FOR ALL ... Dems set 40 years !

Elites will be finished except for the violence they will continue to try to

perpetrate --

If Obama doesn't pull out MEDICARE FOR ALL .... then elites are in and they will

continue to target the rest of the New Deal -- Social Security and Medicare --


Largely agree with your thinking --
every bloody revolution ultimately fails -- even the Founders.
We have to do whatever has to be done non-violently!

[dotymed]

46. defendandprotect, you are 100% right

It is just for the reasons that you stated, that President
Obama will not call for medicare for all. All of the people
who are convinced by the elite,through the MSM, to act against
their own interests (the vocal minority) would violently riot
and be protected by the police. Because that would be
Socialism, and we all know that is an EVIL word. However, if
the silent majority gets the ca jones to non-violently
protest, they will be violently (we see it daily) punished by
the police, "homeland security, even the military, to
protect the PTB. All the while the MSM will applaud the
violence against the "unruly mobs" even though they
are non-violent. Every since Reagan had the FAIRNESS DOCTRINE
dropped we have been bombarded,daily, with elitist propaganda.
In every other industrialized nation, the citizens have
demanded medicare for all, in America we have been manipulated
to be the perfect consumers who question no one and pay to be
manipulated.

[pokercat999]

59. Agreed, healthcare "reform" is much more important than

just the care of individuals, it will provide the key to the future of our nation. I really believe we are at a fork in the road so to speak and healthcare reform is the road sign as to which way we are going. As we continue down the path toward complete fascism we will reach a point of no return (at least no peaceful return) and I think the healthcare problem is the final indicator of which path we are taking.

[Enthusiast]

37. Let's see how health care reform goes.

If we can force the insurance industry to act in the interest of the national community maybe that will be a start. Things obviously cannot continue the way they are now.

[Greyhound]

65. There is no health care reform, only nibbling at the edges of insurance "reform"

and precious little of that. Putting our hopes on the insurance industry would seem to be the definition of desperate, though.

Perhaps they will replace enough gilding on the cage to hold it together for another generation of two...

[WinkyDink]

45. "Revolution"? Did you see the Pittsburgh cops and their weaponry, incl. sonar?

[no limit]

54. Hmm...bloody revolution to take over capitalism...where in history have we seen that before?

And how did it work out then?

[JVS]

67. It turned a backwards country into a superpower in 30 years

[no limit]

70. And how many innocent people ended up dying in those 30 years?

How many million more were oppressed in that same time period? I guess if being a super power if your ultimate end game we already won under capitalism.

[JVS]

72. How many guilty were killed?

[no limit]

73. Please explain

Are you suggesting that what happened then was justified?

[democrat2thecore]

13. As good as I'm sure it is - I'm afraid only the choir will go see it. -nt

[Indenturedebtor]

24. I think at least a few more will see it. Sicko had a huge audience n/t

[defendandprotect]

32. ...but notice, they've kept SICKO off TV, except pay-TV . . .

and I think that might have even been delayed?

Not sure cause I don't do the pay/movies?

[Bluenorthwest]

50. Kept it off TV? That is a tad hyped

Name even 3 feature length documentaries or non fiction films you have seen on broadcast TV in your lifetime. They don't air documentaries, ever. So they are not 'keeping' Sicko off of TV. TV simply does not air any feature length documentaries about anything. Not even about sports.
Now, if they really did air docs, they certainly would keep Sicko from airing. But they don't, so they didn't. It is important to deal in actuality in regard to the media. Excessive hype in the lexicon serves them, not us.

[bobbolink]

91. I'm not so sure. There is RAGE about the bank bailouts.

Seething RAGE.

Plus, we can do our part by inviting someone to see it with us.....someone who is NOT a member of the choir.

[lisa58]

15. appreciation...

[ejpoeta]

16. hmmm.... wonder if he will be back on ABC anytime soon. LOL! good for him.

[livingonearth]

17. Great come back Michael!

Where I work we've been on 12 hour work days for years. Lately they've been pushing it to 13 and 14 hours when they need to. I guess that's the new overtime. With so much work to do why don't they hire more workers and stimulate the economy? It's the benefits. They don't want to pay the benefits to new employees so they work the old employees into the ground.

[Enthusiast]

38. Yup, been there done that.

It's enough to kill an older worker. Throw in a little arthritis here and there and it is nothing short of inhumane. And this entire 'little' problem could be solved with national health care.

[wolfgangmo]

64. Speaking as a small business owner

It's not that I don't have a desire to pay benefits to new hires, I just can't afford new hires or benefits.

I run a clinic so the way I see it the main stumbling block here is medical insurance. Even workers comp is medical insurance. A single payer system would level all those fields, add economies of scale and efficiency, thus lowering costs enough so employers like me could hire someone(s) so we could do better as a company.

As it is I give my employees as much time off, help, salary, benefits as I can humanly afford and still keep a modest roof over my head and my company open. It ain't easy running a company in a country that seems to do everything it can to support transnational corporations at the expense of small to mid sized main street companies.

[bobbolink]

93. Your voice needs to be heard on the corporate media!

Have you called in Ed Schultz to speak about this?

It would be cool if he would have you on his MSNBC program, because this is something that needs much more awareness!

Thanks for bringing it up!

[bobbolink]

92. 12, 13, 14 hours. Yet people think unions are "out moded".

:wtf:

[DeadManInc]

18. Definately want to see this one!

[BootinUp]

20. Me too. I hope its playing here in redneckville. nt

[silenttigersong]

19. I love Michael Moore

Thanks Michael,laughter is good medicine .:grouphug:

[Dinger]

21. KNR!

[myrna minx]

22. K&R. n/t

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

25. Thank you, Michael!!! I RESPECT your resilience, enormously!!! I do.

You have asserted "the peoples" history into this era, by the grace of God or otherwise.

I am grateful to you.

I am grateful.

[underpants]

27. God damn Cuomo wants to be John John in the worst way

Nice suit but it ain't gonna make you John Jr.

[alp227]

28. Again, the myth of "liberal media" debunked...by buster of rightwing myths Moore nt

[defendandprotect]

29. Mike's been out there . . . missed him on Larry King....on Colbert . . .

and someplace else I can't remember .. .

[defendandprotect]

33. SENSATIONAL . . . thanks, Mike!!! Watched it twice . . .!!

:loveya:

[Autonomy]

34. The fact that the banks paid back the bailout money with interest

undermines Moore's potential film profits, which is why he tries to brush it off, but the fact doesn't go away.

I usually like Michael Moore, but not this time. Saying that capitalism is not democratic because wealth is not spread evenly is... how can I say this... MOORE-ONIC. I'm all for universal healthcare, single-payer even. I'm all for regulations on investment companies. But the idea of spreading wealth evenly is ridiculous on too many levels to recount here.

I guess Michael didn't get the memo: communism is dead.

[ProudDad]

35. Maybe YOU didn't get the memo...

capitalism is dead...

Socialism is coming...

and

Communism is just resting up...

[Autonomy]

81. No, it's really not.

[conturnedpro09]

90. Hopefully not.

No reason to play cutesy with a dead and dangerous ideology. I'm a Democrat, not a communist.

[Name removed]

94. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[fasttense]

41. The banks paid back the bailout with interest??????

Give me a reliable link to that.

NO such thing has happened. What has happened is some banks are in the processes of paying some of the government money back.

Banks/Wall Street/insurance corporation have managed to hand the American Tax payer about 40% of their losses.

Give me 40% of billions and I'll guarantee I'll be able to put people to work.

"Ethisphere publishes a TARP index, updated weekly, that measures the financial performance of all TARP recipients and calculates the "return" to taxpayers if the bailout funds are treated as an investment in the companies that got them. By that measure, the government has been a poor investor, losing about $148 billion so far--$1,233 per U.S. household."

http://www.usnews.com/money/blogs/flowchart/2009/7/28/where-bailout-money-goes-to-die.html

[Sherman A1]

43. Well Said!

and agreed!

[Autonomy]

83. "Goldman Sachs has paid back the money with interest"

It's right in this very interview. Moore doesn't try to contradict because it's not a buried story. Where ya been?

I will admit, that was a lot faster than I ever thought any of them would be able to pay the money back. It demonstrates to me the value of the federal government's intervention in the investment industry is often a good thing.

But "NO" on the govt theft and redistribution to the least deserving, thanks.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

47. Except he didn't say that.

He said it's not democratic because we have no say in how it operates, not because the wealth isn't spread evenly; that point was made to elucidate the effects of that lack of control.

[Autonomy]

80. Democracy is the even distribution of political power

among individuals. "We" don't have any say over private companies (as opposed to govt-run, not as opposed to publicly traded) because they are private. To inject a decision among all people on how private companies are run is govt theft and redistribution. That's how I interpret what he is saying.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

85. So explain the bailout in that context.

:think:

[Autonomy]

89. I'll tell you what the bailout is not

It's not a hostile takeover of all private businesses by the government.

The rest you know: the powers that be decided the companies were too big to fail, yadda yadda, I know you know this...

It was questionable, but they went with it, and it seems to be shaping up to be a not-so-bad decision.

We definitely need some serious regulation of the financial industry, and some of regulation of finances of other large corporations. But "the people" collectively, or individually, don't get a say in private business any more than we get a say in private clubs, churches, sports teams, internet political discussion websites, interpersonal relationships, the thoughts in your or my head...

edit to add: For the companies that accepted bailout money, their autonomy was relinquished (to a degree) so they were/are an exception, until they pay back the money, which is why they are paying back the money, because they don't want the gubmint all up in their asses. They get the loan they need to stay alive, and the people get a largely intact financial infrastructure + some interest on the loan. Works out well for all.

[Oilwellian]

48. There's one small little "fact" you're missing

The "fact" is our pension fund hasn't been paid back. Has yours? We were on our way to retiring in 10 years. Can't do that now with half our money "disappeared." Yes, capitalism as it's set up now, is pure evil.

I don't believe Michael Moore ever once used the word "even" as you injected above. What he was saying had to do about fairness for the average worker and an ability to afford all of the expenses incurred in our society today. One in 8 families are losing their homes. Do you ever wonder if you'll be next? I do.

[wolfgangmo]

63. Good thing that Moore never said that and never suggested that.

What he was talking about was the people who actually run these companies be allowed to share in the most basic rewards of their work.

Unless you think it is healthy for democracy for the entire political process to be for sale to the highest (1%) bidder?

Could you miss the point more?

[Oldtimeralso]

36. K & R and proud to help union solidarity n/t

[Marblehead]

39. Go Mike

[tsuki]

40. Thank God, he called ABC out on their "contract labor." Next, FedEx

Ground.

[Soylent Brice]

44. he's on a tear lately. AWESOME.

K to the R

[pattmarty]

51. It's damn well about time in this country to QUIT passing anti-labor...........

............laws and start passing pro labor laws that make it easier to form unions. If one segment of an industry is unionized there is a "trickle-up" effect to the many of the other companies in the same industry. PAY DECENT WAGES AND INCLUDE AT LEAST MINIMUM BENEFITS. People, anyone here remember the "eight hour day" or the "forty hour week"? The working class in this country has been getting fucked ever since the late 70's and it's about fucking time the "change we can believe in" begins to kick in and kick ass.

[Bluenorthwest]

52. ABC is the worst and I love Mike for telling backstage truths about them

Not that I have seen it, I have been boycotting ABC for years now. They are FoxNews with better skills. If it is on ABC, I do not see it. But good for Mike for speaking out!

[pleah]

53. K&R #99

[JNelson6563]

56. And #100 here!

:patriot:

[pleah]

58. ......

:toast:

[jeff30997]

55. K&R

I want to see this movie ASAP.I like Mike ! :)

[Omaha Steve]

57. Perfect

K&R!

[HouLib]

60. Thumbs up!!

[xchrom]

61. ...

:applause:

[AlexDeLarge]

62. Mikey should have enough money by now to run for Congress

I hope that with the next election cycle he runs for Congress. We need people like him and Al Franken in Congress to break up the monopoly that the corporate Reps and Senators have. Then maybe we can some some REAL TRUE reform.

[Javaman]

66. Sadly, these freelancers will now be singled out and will be jobseekers now.

can't have people talking the truth at the corporation, now, can we?

[Amerigo Vespucci]

79. I thought about that...

...I imagined some ABC suit watching the interview, and at its conclusion saying "Have Guy come into my office."

But that's the way of the world. One of the reasons I went into business for myself was that I couldn't take that crap anymore. I spoke up and I spoke out when I worked at Cisco Systems and was crucified for it.

Anyone who thinks that executives do not sit behind closed doors and compile "shit lists" is wrong, dead wrong. I've been in the room when those conversations have taken place. You basically do your job and shut the hell up and any criticism of management, no matter how well-meaning or innocent it may seem, is a one way ticket out the exit door. It might happen today, it might happen tomorrow, or it might be like "Milton" in "Office Space." They might just keep moving your desk around until you're in the basement.

[yourcivictv]

69. Bless you, St. Michael

It's amazing the tone he strikes in these documentaries. somehow he manages to convey incredible anger and injustice, and yet does so from such an everyman perspective, that the pill somehow because easy to swallow. enjoyable even.

[thereismore]

78. Welcome to DU! nt

[katty]

71. Big Mike, he's gone to the mountain top-nothing left to lose,thx!!

[tekisui]

74. KNR!~

[valerief]

75. K&R

:kick:

[newtothegame]

76. Oh nooosss!!! Businesses making business decisions to keep themselves viable during a recession!!!

Corporatist pigs!!!!

[grahamhgreen]

82. No, they're making stupid decisions because they are greedy, dumb and not too bright - just like GM.

[newtothegame]

86. U know ABC's market pretty well? Seen their financials? N/t

ed for sp

[grahamhgreen]

87. He's actually talking about the television technicians, and yes - I am a producer.

When you fail to pay workers a living wage, they can no longer afford to buy the products that keep the economy going.

Higher wages equals stronger economy and more profit in the long run, it's simple.

[Bushknew]

77. He's the best

[DeSwiss]

84. And the asshole totally avoided answering the question. n/t

[democrat2thecore]

88. It was really more of a rhetorical question from Moore

I don't think he was really asking the interviewer for an answer.

This will be a great move and I can't wait to see it!