SAG-AFTRA Joins the WGA

For the first time since 1960 the actors and writers of Hollywood are on strike together. This is an important piece of history. The writers have been on strike for nearly two months now with no sign of the AMPTP wavering. However with the actors joining the strike something is going to have to change.

First let's take a trip back to 1960, the last time both unions were on strike together. Back then the SAG strike was led by Ronald Reagan (we are all shocked) the 1960 strike was also about residuals for both writers and actors. As studios had sold studio films to television networks without properly compensating the actors. The 1960s strike also ended in pension and health benefits for the WGA. Now that history is repeating itself we see that studios greed has only grown and nothing has really changed.

Before SAG decided to join the WGA on strike this month statements from studio executives made some troubling statements including that the plan was to essentially starve out the writers. In a few months people won’t be able to pay their mortgage or rent and that is when the studios would like to go back to negotiating. They are going to wait until the writers are so desperate that they will have to take a bad deal. Well most of these writers have already picked up day jobs and with the actors joining them I don’t see this going in favor of the studios.

In addition to the vile statements executives have been making, they had the trees outside of Universal Studios cut bare so there would be no shade on the picket lines outside of the studio. As LA heads into a week of weather over 100 degrees they take away the only form of shade for no other reason than to make the strikers suffer.

The AMPTP went from unreasonable employers to straight up supervillains, this strike feels like something the writers would come up with. The writers have been striking for nearly 3 months now, with the actors at their side Hollywood is effectively shut down hopefully forcing the studios hand.

I just wanted to note some quick things; 1) Do not cancel your streaming services yet, these people still need the residuals and they are going to need to hold that card in their back pocket for when things get really dire. Doing it now only hurts them. 2) DO continue to go see movies and post about them on social media, if the general public boycotts anything new the studios will use the lower numbers against the strikers. The actors can not do press right now so it is our job as fans to keep viewing numbers up. We don’t want studios weaponizing bad box office numbers against the writers and actors. And 3) Character performers at amusement parks are not scabs, they are also underpaid with no union to protect them. Leave them alone.

What the writers and actors are asking for will total in 2% of the studio execs total salaries. 2%. So these executives will still be getting wildly overpaid and the creatives will get to feed themselves, yet these executives can’t stand to lose a cent of their billions of dollars that they didn’t do anything to earn.

SAG-AFTRA and the WAG need our support right now, look to official sources and simply do what they ask. Do not follow the misguided advice from anyone not in either union, fans get overzealous and think they know better when they don't. The only people that know what is going to help the strikers, are the strikers. Corporate greed will no longer be tolerated, and I can’t wait to watch the creatives take them down.