The WGA and David Letterman’s Worldwide Pants have reached an agreement that will allow “Late Show with David Letterman” and “Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson” to return to the air next week with their writers.

WGA issued a statement Friday confirming the agreement, citing the deal as proof that its demands aren’t unreasonable.

“This is a comprehensive agreement that addresses the issues important to writers, particularly new media,” the Guild said. “Worldwide Pants has accepted the very same proposals that the Guild was prepared to present to the media conglomerates when they walked out of negotiations on December 7.

Today’s agreement dramatically illustrates that the Writers Guild wants to put people back to work, and that when a company comes to the table prepared to negotiate seriously a fair and reasonable deal can be reached quickly.”

WGA’s decision to strike a deal with Letterman is unique, because Letterman owns his own shows and is not at the mercy of the big studios. However, similar deals with the large studios are unlikely because they have considerably more at stake than Letterman’s World Wide Pants does.

I have mixed emotions about this WGA strike. I can appreciate what the writers are asking for and I can’t say that it’s unreasonable. There’s just something about strikes of any kind that I find irritating. Maybe it’s not so much the strike itself, but just the gratuitous picketing that I find so irritating.

What’s wrong with having a strike and just staying home or going on vacation? Is is really necessary to stand in the street with a dumb sign and a megaphone? The fact that all the late night shows went off the air made a pretty significant statement by itself without the stupid picketing.

Of course I could be wrong, so if I’m missing something and this whole picketing thing is necessary than please do tell.

-Chris Jones

Today was the last day for most of the 120 staffers on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” who left with an early Christmas bonus check and no guarantee of a job when the strike ended.

Each of the 120 staffers received a letter from the Human Resources department at NBC that said,  “If your services are needed, we will contact you.”

Still on the payroll are the exec producers and a skeleton crew to answer phones. Leno was not on hand for the layoffs. Instead, Leno’s assistant notified the staff yesterday that they would get their Christmas bonus early. Leno’s bonuses usually go out the week before Christmas.

This is truly hilarious! If this isn’t “The Politics of Convenience” I don’t know what is. Hillary Clinton is now saying that she won’t cross the picket line for the CBS debate.

From Drudge:

Clinton: I Will Not Cross Picket Line For CBS Debate

Hillary Clinton issued the following statement:

"The workers at CBS News have been without a contract for close to two and a half years. It is my hope that both sides will reach an agreement that results in a secure contract for the workers at CBS News but let me be clear:

"I will honor the picket line if the workers at CBS News decide to strike.

"America's unions are the backbone of America's middle class and I will always stand with America's working men and women in the fight to ensure that they are able to earn a fair wage."

Developing...

This may really hurt her in the polls. Everyone knows that a candidate is most vulnerable during debates. The fewer debates a candidate must participate in the better.

It really looks like she’s using the writer’s strike to get out of a debate. The fact that she had a poor showing in the debate a couple of weeks ago, makes it even more obvious that’s her strategy.

The best thing Obama and the rest of the candidates can do is appear without her and point out to the audience repeatedly what a calculating politician she is. They will get two hours to hammer her completely unchallenged.

What we have is clearly the “politics of convenience.”

-Chris Jones