Opinion: The Anti-Scabs, or, if Jay Leno isn’t management, who is?

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On the front page of our paper today you’ll see a glorious full-color photo of Jay Leno handing out donuts on a picket line. You can find it on our site. On the front page of The New York Times you’ll find a shot of Tina Fey rocking an earnest look among some other group of picketers.

Now, before you say I’m just letting my plutocratic need to batten on the blood tallow of the proletariat get the best of me, let me affirm that I am very happy the WGA strike is on and I hope the work stoppage lasts for at least one full calendar year.

But I mean, if Jay Leno’s aims are the same as those of the writers on strike, then who can be considered management in this situation? Yes, yes, I’m sure he has a WGA card or some such thing, but it’s The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. He’s the boss of the show. He’s the person who is ultimately responsible for attracting viewers. He’s the one responsible for making sure the program brings in more money than it spends. He answers if the product fails. He’s the one responsible for making sure new shows come out and get seen, and he will be, or should be, fire if that fails to happen.

There’s a word for that kind of person. It’s ‘boss.’ Not a union boss — a real boss. Are we supposed to believe nobody under the level of NBC-Universal chairman Bob Wright can be considered management? If Jay’s labor, who’s management? This is a real question, not a rhetorical question.