SAG Actors Strike Begins:
After SAG-AFTRA leadership announced that the union would be going on strike, picketing began on Friday. In New York City and Los Angeles, actors have joined writers outside the studios, picketing and rallying outside of Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney, Amazon NBCUniversal and others in both cities.
Corporate greed was at the center of messaging on day one of the joint picketing from SAG-AFTRA and the WGA.
When the bus carrying SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher and the rest negotiating committee arrived outside of Netflix offices, they were mobbed by media and fellow protesters as they inched their way down the sidewalk along Sunset Boulevard.
Tatiana Zappardino, a series regular on “Tulsa King” who has also appeared on “This Is Us” and “NCIS: New Orleans,” turned up at the Netflix picket with her one-month-old daughter.
“I’ve received residual checks for 50 cents,” the SAG-AFTRA member said, rocking her baby in a stroller. “I’m looking forward to a fair contract this year, not having my image used to make someone another billion.”
As the heat ticked past 85 degrees at Netflix, actor Dermot Mulroney accepted sunscreen from a fellow picketer.
“This is solidarity,” the star said as he slathered lotion on his arms. Mulroney declined an interview because, “I’m too emotional right now to talk. This is crazy.”
“Your poor Montana ranch!”; “I’m trying to pay my rent, not my third and fourth mortgage and fuel my private jet!”; “ChatGPT can suck my D”; and “Logan Roy would pay us more” were among the notable picket signs.
Other notable names out picketing included Mandy Moore at Disney and “Parks and Recreation” co-creator Mike Schur at Paramount.
Also at Paramount were chants such as “L.A. is a union town” and plenty of honks of support from vehicles passing by. At Warner Bros., SAG members chanted, “Hey hey! Hi hi! We are actors, not AI.”
Drescher had given a passionate speech at the Thursday press conference announcing the strike, in which she said the action has been a long time coming.
“You cannot change the business model as much as it has changed and not expect the contract to change too,” she said. “We’re not going to keep doing incremental changes on a contract that no longer honors what is happening right now with this business model that was foisted upon us. What are we doing — moving around furniture on the Titanic? It’s crazy! So the jig is up, AMPTP. We stand tall. You have to wake up and smell the coffee. We are labor and we stand tall and we demand respect and to be honored for our contribution. You share the wealth because you cannot exist without us.”
Beyond film and television productions shutting down, SAG members have many other things they are limited from doing, including any promotion for completed work, attending award shows or film festivals, and even discussing work on social media.
Reporting by Matt Donnelly, Clayton Davis, Adam B. Vary, Cynthia Littleton, Emily Longeretta, Jazz Tangcay, Joe Otterson and Jennifer Maas.
Source: Variety
