You may already know that the Writers Guild of America has been striking since May 2, with TheGamer having written many pieces about it. After the strike was announced, Editor-in-Chief Stacey Henley wrote an excellent piece about why you should stand in solidarity with striking writers, especially because they create the media that shapes pop culture.
My colleague Andrew King wrote about how studios are still, during the strike, devaluing the creators of the media that society values so much. I, myself, have written about how a possible Screen Actors Guild strike could halt Hollywood entirely, forcing studios to finally come to the table in good faith, as well as the hypocrisy of studios making money off shows with themes of revolution while crushing the hopes and will of its workers.
I’d hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but here we are – SAG-AFTRA’s contract negotiations with the AMPTP, which is the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, broke off today without a successor agreement. They had been bargaining with the AMPTP for over four weeks, but the studios were unwilling to offer a fair deal on issues key to SAG-AFTRA members. They will be meeting Thursday morning to formally approve the launch of the strike, and picketing should begin Friday morning.
I wouldn’t say I’m a fan of striking, because it’s an action taken when workers have absolutely no other choice. I wish that workers were given fair pay, benefits, and weren’t constantly beaten down by corporations gunning for ever more profit, but as that’s not the world we live in, I’m definitely a fan of striking as a tool for gaining leverage against companies dead-set on exploiting the people that make money for them. That’s what’s happening here.
Studios are cheerfully ignoring the writers striking for fairer pay as well as safeguards against AI because, according to Deadline, they’re waiting for the high cost of living in the coastal cities where writers work to drain their bank accounts, leaving them without the money to pay for their homes. They would rather see the people that create their shows become homeless than cut them a fair deal that protects the industry from exploitation.
I do believe that this will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back – with the solidarity of SAG-AFTRA, not only are shows not being written and filmed, but actors will not participate in filming, take part in press junkets or film premieres, and will not promote anything at San Diego Comic Con, which they are discouraged from attending. Hollywood will grind to a complete halt, and there are only so many shows and movies in the post-production stage to be released in the next quarter. That means consumers will be left with nothing to watch, adding further pressure to corporations to finally negotiate in good faith. Hollywood will have to return to the bargaining table to cut a deal that doesn’t sorely disadvantage workers.
The WGA is still striking, but it finally looks as if there may be an end in sight. As SAG-AFTRA president Fran Descher said in a letter, “This is an unprecedented inflection point in our industry, and what might be considered a good deal in any other years is simply not enough. We feel that our wages, our craft, our creative freedom, and the power of our union have all been undermined in the last decade. We need to reverse those trajectories.” Workers’ rights matter, and corporations have been taking advantage of them, and all of us, for too long. For the first time in a long time, I am hopeful that things will get better in the entertainment industry.