That news was coupled with the announcement that about three dozen Warner Bros. workers have been laid off less than a week after officials they sent a letter to about 1,000 studio employees warning them of potential layoffs because of the lack of studio work.
"We have worked very hard to come up with solutions — such as implementing reduced work schedules — to minimize layoffs," a Warner Bros. company spokesperson said. "Because of these measures, fewer than three dozen positions were affected this week. We will continue to explore alternatives to layoffs, including redeployment to other areas of our businesses."
Gary Olson, president and chief executive of the Burbank Chamber of Commerce, praised the studio’s attempt to layoff less than 1% of the warned employees, while he tried to keep the focus on the thousands who are out of work.
"I commend them and their actions in keeping as many people working as possible," he said. "Everyone is talking about [those] who lost their jobs, but what about the 15,000?"
The snowballing economic and professional losses have led Burbank Mayor Marsha Ramos to send a letter to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger urging him to lead a collective effort with the mayors from Beverly Hills, Burbank, Glendale, Los Angeles and Pasadena to bring both sides toward a resolution.
"I find the need to further advocate for a resolution becoming more and more urgent," she wrote on Jan. 15. "I believe that with your leadership and the collective support of the mayors of the five cities whose economies are greatly driven by the entertainment industry, we may be able to encourage the striking parties to return to the negotiating table."
