Is Jay Leno subverting his union?

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.nola.com/newsflash/entertainment/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-0/1199426668174350.xml&storylist=entertainment

1/4/2008, 12:49 a.m. CST
By DAVID BAUDER
The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The striking writers union told member Jay Leno on Thursday that he violated its rules by penning and delivering punch lines in his first "Tonight Show" monologue in two months on NBC the night before.

NBC quickly fired back, alleging Leno was right and the Writers Guild of America was wrong.

"The WGA agreement permits Jay Leno to write his own monologue for `The Tonight Show,'" NBC said in a statement Thursday. "The WGA is not permitted to implement rules that conflict with the terms of the collective bargaining agreement between the studios and the WGA."

The agreement between the guild and producers expired Oct. 31 but its terms remain in effect, said Andrea Hartman, executive vice president and deputy general counsel for NBC Universal. She cited federal labor law.

According to the contract, "material written by the person who delivers it on the air" is exempted from the agreement. The exception applies to shows outside prime-time, which includes NBC's "Tonight Show."

Leno did not mention the dispute during Thursday's show, which he opened with another monologue.

FULL 3 page story at link

[panader0]

1. Legally no. In spirit yes.

Solidarity means not crossing the picket line.

[BearSquirrel2]

2. If Leno memorized the material ...

If Leno memorized the material, I don't think there is any problem. If he's using prompters, I think he would be violating the spirit of the contract. Supposedly, Leno is meticulously practices his monologues even when others are writing them. He believes it's the most important part of the show. I see no reason why he wouldn't practice his own material for an hour and just deliver it ad lib. He was a stand up comic, it's not as if he's never done it before.