Posts tagged SAG-AFTRA
Summer of discontent: will US strikes spell trouble for ‘union guy’ Biden?
July 24, 2023 // On Thursday he was at the Philadelphia Shipyard in Pennsylvania to promote “Bidenomics”, a recently adopted slogan. The president said: “We have a plan that’s turning things around pretty quickly. ‘Bidenomics’ is just another way of saying ‘Restore the American Dream’.” But that message is still struggling to break through with voters. In a CNBC All-America Economic Survey released this week, 37% approve of Biden’s handling of the economy and 58% disapprove. In a Monmouth University poll, only three in 10 Americans feel the country is doing a better job recovering economically than the rest of the world since the pandemic. There is a baffling disconnect between these opinions and data that shows America defying predictions of recession and curbing price rises faster than other major economies. Inflation has fallen from 9% to 3% and is now at its lowest point in more than two years.
Actors and writers on strike rally in Philadelphia and Chicago as union action spreads
July 24, 2023 // While Los Angeles and New York are the epicenters of strike actions, there are dozens of mid-sized and small locals across the country representing performers and writers. “We have the same issues,” said Nikki Izanec, president of the Philadelphia SAG-AFTRA local, on her way to Thursday’s rally. “Lots of people pay attention to L.A. and New York, but our issues are the same as theirs.”
Actors and writers unions are fighting technological change. Expect change to win.
July 24, 2023 // Other issues relating to technology involve establishing standards for use of AI, which holds out the possibility that Hollywood may someday do away with actors altogether. The actors and writers can negotiate for better pay and more residuals (that’s likely what ultimately happens here) but the automation and efficiency being promoted by streamlining, digital, and AI are here for good. Show business was long assumed to be resistant to the type of automation that cost factory worker jobs. Machines cannot do what actors and writers can do. The unions are realizing that may no longer be the case.
Here’s where striking actors can find financial help with Hollywood shut down
July 20, 2023 // Now that actors and other performers have joined the writers on strike, where can SAG-AFTRA members turn for help if they can’t pay their bills? Many workers throughout the industry will be financially affected by the production shutdowns. In most states, including California, employees on strike are not entitled to unemployment insurance benefits because they are still considered employed. One exception is that employees in New York can file for unemployment after a two-week waiting period.
Actors’ Equity Supports SAG-AFTRA Strike; Broadway Shows Won’t Be Impacted
July 14, 2023 // The SAG-AFTRA strike will not impact Broadway productions. SAG-AFTRA members who appear on Broadway operate under Equity contracts, with actors typically having dual memberships in the unions.
Hollywood actors’ union SAG-AFTRA votes to strike. ‘We are the victims here.’
July 14, 2023 // The studios said the union walked away from an offer that included “historic” increases in pay and residuals, as well as a “groundbreaking” proposal for AI protections. The group said its offer included a requirement for a performer’s consent for the creation and use of digital replicas or for digital alterations of a performance.
Hollywood studios racing to avoid actors’ strike at midnight
July 12, 2023 //
SAG-AFTRA and Producers Agree to Two-Week Contract Extension for Continued Negotiations
July 5, 2023 // “While it seems like a lot of SAG members want to join the WGA, at the end of the day, most want to continue to work,” Theresa Stevenson, an arbitrator in Michigan who has helped settled union disputes and strikes in the past, told the Globe. “While this does affect A-list stars, it also affects so many more smaller actors and bit parts and commercial work and so many others. The majority with the SAG card simply can’t afford a strike and just want to work to live or, in some cases, have supplementary income.” “SAG knows this, and that’s why negotiations are continuing. Most members really do just want a deal and don’t want to dig in for a strike lasting months like the WGA. They go on strike, then LA and other big acting towns are going to see a flood of new applicants going on the job market for temp or part-time work, and that means economic disruption, especially when, after the theoretical strike is over, they all pull out. We see this happen in many entertainment and non-entertainment related strikes, and LA and California really doesn’t need more economic uncertainty right now.”
Hollywood’s actors may join its writers on strike. Here’s why
July 3, 2023 // The contract between the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Radio and Television Artists and the studios, streaming services and production companies that employ them had been set to expire Friday night at midnight Pacific time. But hours before that the two sides said they had agreed to extend the current contract, and talks on the next one, through July 12. Unionized actors have voted overwhelmingly to authorize their leaders to call a strike if no deal is reached. Talks also went past the deadline in 2014 and 2017, and agreements resulted both times. Reports have said the talks have been productive. But some actors have expressed worry that their leaders may not be pushing hard enough. More than 1,000 of them, including Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence and Bob Odenkirk, have added their names to a letter to negotiators saying they are willing to strike, and are concerned they are “ready to make sacrifices that leadership is not.” The letter says "this is not a moment to meet in the middle.” The guild, led by president and former “Nanny” star Fran Drescher, represents over 160,000 screen actors, stunt performers, broadcast journalists, announcers, and hosts, but a strike would involve only actors working on television shows and films.
iHeart Philadelphia Station Staff Move To Unionize
June 30, 2023 // The employees, including on-air hosts, disc jockeys, and producers, are seeking to organize a union to have a voice in the workplace. SAG-AFTRA’s Philadelphia executive director, Steve Leshinski, told the Philadelphia Inquirer, “We don’t comment on ongoing organizing, but obviously we are very excited about broadcasters having a voice in the workplace and looking forward to welcoming them to the SAG-AFTRA family.” SAG-AFTRA already represents certain radio workers at other stations in the Philadelphia region, including Q102 (WIOQ), Total Traffic & Weather Network, 93.3 WMMR, 92.5 XTU, SportsRadio 94WIP, KYW NewsRadio, and WHYY. The union represents a wide range of professionals in the entertainment industry, including actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, and disc jockeys, with a membership of over 160,000 nationwide.