Hollywood on hold until SAG-AFTRA strikes end
On May 2, the Writers’ Guild of America (WGA) closed their laptops, put down their pens and went on strike. Two short months later, an irritated Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) joined the writers for the first time since 1960.
Now, as of Sept. 27, the WGA finally reached a definitive agreement with Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP) and are close to resuming their writing of the movies and TV shows that Samo students treasure.
Going into the strikes, both organizations began their negotiations with comparable requests. A large concern was the unsavory state of both writers’ and performers’ streaming residuals. With the rise of streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu, the way that people are consuming content has changed immensely. Entertainment workers argue that because the primary method of content distribution has shifted this dramatically, their compensation should reflect that.
Additional striking demands include higher wages, mandatory staffing of TV writing rooms and job protections against artificial intelligence.
Beyond the ban on actively taking on new projects and jobs, strike guidelines strictly prohibit the promotion of already completed work. This means no movie premiers, no social media, no award shows and no interviews. The longer the strike, the more the industry suffers as a whole.
With Hollywood right next door, many Samo students unfortunately feel the impact of these strikes firsthand. They remind us that striking can carry extensive consequences, both financial and emotional. Audrey Enbom (’24) is one of many Samo students with parents in the entertainment industry who was happy to hear the news of the first strike ending. “For the majority of the strike, my parents really had no idea of how much longer it was going to last and were constantly worried about when they would return to work. Truthfully, they hated it,” Enbom said.
Members of SAG-AFTRA have yet to cease their negotiations. The union continues to advocate for its workers’ interests while attempting to compromise with their corporate employers. SAG-AFTRA commented on their current situation in an interview for TIME Magazine.
“Since the day the WGA strike began, SAG-AFTRA members have stood alongside the writers on the picket lines. We remain on strike in our TV/Theatrical contract and continue to urge the studio and streamer CEOs and the AMPTP to return to the table and make the fair deal that our members deserve and demand,” SAG-AFTRA said. Although the specific issues that they combat may vary, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are emblematic of universal issues that can be applied to nearly all working environments. Hopefully, the entire entertainment industry’s best and brightest will finally get the compensation they deserveand get their shows back on our TVs while they’re at it!
Audrey Strauss/ The Samohi