Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), the union representing screen actors has expressed its support to the writers’ strike that has put the spotlight on Hollywood.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been on strike for over two months now, seeking fair wages for union members. Now, SAG-AFTRA has also offered support to the efforts, with many actors walking out of premiers in open expression of their support.
The actors are expressing their solidarity with the writers who have been protesting against low or unfair wages, poor working conditions and the wide use of artificial intelligence (AI) by the industry.
The writers feel that the money being made from streaming is not being shared with the writers.
About 1.6 lakh people from the industry stopped work last week, lending their voice to the over 11,000 members of WGA, who walked out in early May, 2023.
Such a strike has not been witnessed in the last six decades.
Production across the entertainment sector has been brought to halt when discussions pertaining to new contracts with studios and streaming devices bore no fruit.
Fran Drescher, president, SAG-AFTRA, had found it disappointing that the talks between the SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers had failed to fructify following the expiry of a three-year contract. The Alliance represents Netflix, Amazon, Disney and other employers.
Actors are expected to begin demonstrations in solidarity with the writers outside the Hollywood offices of Netflix.
