Actors on Strike: Negotiations between acting union SAG-AFTRA and the Hollywood studios and streamers, represented by the group AMPTP, shut down earlier this week without producing a new overall contract. So film and TV actors are now on strike, joining Writers Guild of America (WGA) members on picket lines across New York and Los Angeles. Under the SAG-AFTRA guidelines, actors are barred from attending premieres, film festivals, or award shows; doing interviews to discuss completed work; or even promoting projects on social media. Representing All Actors: Though "Hollywood actors" as a group are traditionally thought of as a well-compensated group, wealthy and high-profile film and TV stars make up just a small percentage of the whole. SAG represents around 160,000 total members, including not just actors but announcers, hosts, broadcasters, stunt performers, even puppeteers, along with various other media professionals. As a group, "actors" are still members of the working class, with a median annual salary that comes in below many other common kinds of working professionals. The Last "Double Strike": Hollywood has not been hit by a labor movement of this size since 1960, the last time both the WGA and SAG walked off-set. Back then, SAG was still being run by a popular actor from Westerns and sports dramas, by the name of Ronald Reagan. Ultimately, the writers and actors prevailed, winning residuals from TV reruns and re-broadcasts of their work, along with their very first pension and welfare plans. |
