The continuing drama of the writers' strike (snore)

Forget Alien vs. Predator. The late night shows return tonight, notwithstanding the ong0ing Writers' Guild strike. As described here, Letterman cut a separate deal with the Guild, so he will actually have writers and his show will carry on the same as always. Leno, on the other hand, will have no writers and will be limited in what he can do during the show.

So, who will the viewing public choose? If Letterman is a smashing success and Leno continues to lose viewers, will that put pressure on NBC suits to settle with the writers? Will A-list celebs cross the line to be on Leno? Does anyone really care one way or the other?

I asked about a month ago whether unions still have any relevance. I got some interesting responses from my Labor Law students. Most who responded believed that unions were still relevant although there were different ideas about which industries held promise for unions in the future.

I do believe that unions have and will continue to have relevance. However, I believe that the union officials will have to think more realistically and innovatively to accomplish the traditional union goals of job security, top wages and benefits, and safety. I also believe that unions in general need to do a better job on the PR front to be more attractive to younger workers who seemingly see little need for a union if they do not hail from union families.