For those that may not have been paying attention, the Writer’s Guild of America(WGA)has been on strike for a couple of months against AMPTP(Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers). Why? The writers are asking for higher pay and stable pay structure, as well as better deals and contracts about A.I. AMPTP has refused to even MEET with the WGA about it. In a recent report by Deadline, it’s come out that the producers and movie studios are willing to starve out the WGA to force them to accept a less-than-acceptable deal. I guess the producers haven’t learned a damn thing from the last few strikes that the WGA held. For those who don’t know, the WGA is a union that represents over 11,000 writers for film, television, news, radio, and online outlets. It’s causing a massive disruption in the film-making industry right now. But wait! There’s more: Over the last couple of days, negotiations between SAG-AFTRA(Screen Actor’s Guild and the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists)have failed. So, what’s SAG asking for? Protection of erosion of income from reduced residuals, unregulated use of A.I, and demanding self-taped auditions.
So, what happens when SAG goes on strike? Everything shuts down. Every production that’s not finished and in the can. That includes movies, television, radio, and streaming. EVERYTHING. You can’t have a production if you don’t have people willing to work them. Between the WGA and SAG strikes, the producers and studios will try and hold out, but they really don’t have the leverage. They might have if it was just the WGA, but now you have two of the biggest unions in the industry picketing together. That’s going to force the producers back to the negotiation table. We, as the audience, might not see the effects immediately, but when new content stops showing up on streaming services, people will start unsubscribing, and people will stop going to the movies when no new movies are being released. The producers think that Wallstreet and the shareholders are on their side. Wallstreet is going to turn on the studios in a heartbeat when their wallets start getting hit. Oh, and before someone asks: No, writers and actors who are part of the unions are NOT allowed to cross the picket line to work. If they do, they’re kicked out of the union and essentially black-listed. Unions exist for a reason. They are there to make money, sure, but they also exist to protect the workers from employers who would take advantage of them. Unions are the back-bone of the United States, and when you have employers trying to take away their bargaining power, things get ugly, and they should. The WGA and SAG are not being unreasonable when it comes to their demands. The producers will have to capitulate or they’re going to continue to lose money. Considering how financially irresponsible that the studios and producers have been lately, spending a little extra money to make sure that writers and actors can make ends meet doesn’t strike me as unreasonable. It’s going to be painful for everybody involved. But the WGA knew what they were in for and they’re in it for the long haul. I believe the same applies to the actors’ guild. Now, the DGA(Director’s Guild)has already made their deal with the producers, but they can’t do a damn thing until the writers and actors get back to work. The producers also can’t just randomly hire people off the streets to write and act. Well, they can, but it wouldn’t end well for them.
So, the question here is: How long can the unions hold out? For as long as they deem necessary. A lot of these actors and writers have side jobs that can help offset some of the pain that they’ll be feeling, but most of them are willing to fight for better benefits. I don’t the studios and producers can hold out as long as they think they can. As I said earlier, once Wallstreet starts getting hit, and they will, they’re going to go after the studios to make a deal with WGA and SAG leadership. The producers can’t sue their way of this because they are also part of a union, the AMPTP. So, you would think they would understand where the writers and actors are coming from, but they clearly don’t. This marks the first time in 60 years that both the SAG and WGA have gone on strike together. While I don’t think that the SAG and WGA are going to get EVERYTHING that they want initially, it will set the stage for future negotiations. The studios can’t afford to have two of the biggest unions going on strike, so I think they’re going to be forced to negotiate in order for things to get rolling again. But make no mistake, the effects of these unions striking will be felt for months if not years to come. The industry is still feeling the effects of the 2007/8 writer’s strike. That’s how important of an issue this is. Also, just to make things worse: Disney CEO Bob Iger just recently came out and bitched about the strikes saying the actors and writers were being unreasonable. Of course he’d say that. He’s a rich sack of shit who has never had to struggle to make ends meet. He gets a salary because of his cushy fucking job. So…FUCK YOU, BOB. And a big fat FUCK YOU to all the Hollywood execs unwilling to pay the writers and actors what they need to survive. So, in case you haven’t figured it out: I stand with WGA and SAG-AFTRA. 100 percent.