AFL CIO President Liz Shuler Told Studios, “Come To Your Senses” As Well As “Get Back To The Table”:
Liz Shuler has been on strikes before. The president of the AFL-CIO, which is the largest labor federation in the U.S. and is made up of unions like SAG-AFTRA, the United Mine Workers of America, and the American Federation of Teachers, has seen a lot. However, she thinks that the current work stoppages by actors and writers are notable in at least one way.
“The writers and performers are holding the line for all of us,” Shuler told The Hollywood Reporter upon Thursday. “This is especially true when it comes to using technology and AI.
Which not many workers know much about and don’t know how it will affect their work in the future or how we can use group bargaining to protect working people.”
The Writers Guild of America as well as SAG-AFTRA, on the other hand, have made it a top priority within their current talks with studios and streamers to make sure that A.I. tools can’t get into their work. This is one of the many reasons why both groups are at a standstill with studios and streamers right now.
Almost 160,000 Members Actor’s Union Decided To Join The Strike:
The strike is now in its second week. The 160,000-member actors’ union decided to join the striking Hollywood writers, who want, among other things, better pay and guarantees that they won’t lose their work to artificial intelligence.
Shuler had just told striking members of the WGA as well as SAG-AFTRA within front of Fox Studios within West Los Angeles that both of the entertainment unions have the backing of “13 million working people throughout this country.”
She was there with Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, who is the executive secretary-treasurer of the California Labor Federation, and Yvonne Wheeler, who is the head of the L.A. County Federation of Labor. They were all there for the second themed event of the year for women who write fantasy and science fiction.
“Not only do we have genre queens here, but we also have labor queens,” joked Meredith Stiehm, the head of the WGA West, as she spoke to the crowd.
Shuler talked to THR after her speech about the rise of women in labor leadership, gave her opinion on whether or not politicians ought to become involved in Hollywood’s labor disagreement, and told studios as well as streams to “come to their senses.”
According To Iger That The Choice By The Actor And Writer Union’s Is “Very Disturbing To Me”:
On July 14, hours before the strike was called, Iger said that the choice by the actors’ and writers’ unions was “very disturbing to me.” This caused some people to disagree with him.
“We’ve got a message for Mr. Iger,” Cranston, 67, said from the center stage of the “Rock the City for a Fair Contract” protest.
“I know, sir, that you see things differently than I do. We don’t think you need to know who we are. But we want you to hear us, and more than that, we want you to listen to us when we say that robots won’t take our jobs,” the Breaking Bad star said.
Overall 13 Million Worker’s Within 60 Different Unions Who Are Affected By The Exact Same Problem:
The writers and actors are standing up for all of us, and we have 13 million workers within 60 different unions who are all affected by the same problems and fighting the same fight.
So I wanted to have them here to bring their views and show these groups that they’re not alone. I also wanted to thank them for standing up for everyone, especially when it relates to the utilization of technology as well as artificial intelligence.
Which not many workers are aware of of as well as don’t know how it will affect their jobs or how we can use collective bargaining to protect workers and keep them safe.
The 72-year-old head of Disney said, “As an industry, we were able to work out a very good deal regarding the directors’ guild that shows how important directors are to this great business.”
“We wished to do the exact same thing with the writers, and we’ll want to do the same thing with the stars. There are some things they expect that are just not possible.
“They are only adding to the problems that this business already has to deal with, which is, to be honest, very upsetting.”
Cody Ziglar Tweeted That She Got $396 Leftover Check For She Hulk:
In answer to Iger’s interview, She-Hulk writer Cody Ziglar tweeted, “My She-Hulk: Attorney at Law leftover check was $396.
“This proved to be one of the more popular episodes from one of the shows that is most popular on Disney+.” Even made more than one list of the best shows of 2022. My check for my residuals was $396. That’s why we’re going on strike.”
Forbes estimates that Iger has a net worth of about $690 million as of 2019.The director and assistant producer of Netflix’s Cobra Kai, Zack Arnold, told The Independent that the strike was brought about through a “perfect storm” of streaming dominance, which resulted in the loss of severance pay and the introduction of AI in the industry.
So, this summer is a strike summer. Not only are writers and artists on strike, but so are a lot of other workers in many different fields.
Even though most people are interested in Hollywood, there are workers at International Fragrances and bakeries who have been traveling for months.
We just walked the picket line alongside teachers and health care workers, so I think this is important because it shows that people are tired of being treated as useless.
They’re tired of being treated badly, and all that they require is a little respect and fairness, which isn’t much to ask for.
So I think this is a good example of how people all over the country feel, whether they are in a union or not. All we desire is our fair share of the pie, but corporations are making billions of dollars in profits, which is a record, but they can’t find a little extra for the individuals who make it all happen.
So, we’re ready for however long it takes. We know a little bit about strikes from the labor movement. That’s how we got where we are today, and we only stop working as a last option. We take it extremely seriously because it’s a strong tool.
So, we’re giving all the help and tools we can at every level, since there’s an AFL-CIO within Los Angeles, California, and a national one, too.
So, we’re all on the same page, making plans, and using all of our resources together, whether they’re financial or tools for communication. We’re putting all of these capital strategies, resources, and backing to use.
I think you’ve already seen the help. There are some members of Congress who have been out, as well as mayors as well as others who know that fairness is at stake, that they’re in the fight alongside workers as well as their problems, and that they really understand the collective bargaining process.
It’s a holy place where workers as well as their bosses sit down across from each other to talk about hard problems and discuss in good faith. I think, though, that what we’re seeing was that the AMPTP has left.
Studio’s Are Not Offering The Fair Deal:
They aren’t offering a fair deal, as well as the unions say, “We need more, we want more.” Even more so in this situation where they’re doing so well. So, I think it’s important to have the backing of elected leaders, and I think we’ll keep seeing that.
Get yourself together. Not hard at all. You are able to come to the table and talk to your workers about what they need. If you pay your workers well and take care of them, they will work harder for you.
They will help you earn even more money. So far, you just haven’t been sharing it in the manner you should. So go back to your seat.
I can only think that it makes them stronger. And the tentative deal between the Teamsters and UPS just happened because of pressure that came from the ground up, from workers getting ready and getting together.
And this strike is just setting the groundwork for other unions to use the idea of member action and community participation, as well as the camaraderie among all unions to show up for each other’s fights.
Even IBEW Is Upon Strike:
So, I’m sure that will have an effect on all the other groups that are about to go into these important bargaining meetings. Even the IBEW is on strike. So they know what it takes, we plan, organize, and make plans ahead of time so that everyone is ready.
But there’s no doubt that it’s causing a chain reaction. Workers are getting hurt because these studios are closing down, but they are able to come again to the table at any time with a fair offer and solve the problem.
But there has been a lot of support for SAG-AFTRA as well as the Writers Guild. You may have heard that all the other organizations in the film business are sticking alongside SAG-AFTRA as well as the Writers Guild.
