Screen Actors Guild joins Writers Guild picket line, protests ongoing

Logan Bowman, Copy Editor

The Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild have gone on strike amid growing anger at Hollywood’s treatment of writers and actors.

The two guilds joined forces on the picket line after negotiations between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Arts fell through on July 13.

Both unions are seeking higher pay, increased revenue from streaming services, and, most importantly, safeguards put in place against the use of AI technologies in filmmaking. This marks the first time the WGA and the SAG-AFTRA have gone on strike together since 1960, over six decades prior.

During the strike, Netflix and Disney quietly opened many new AI job opportunities focused on “AI machine learning.” This comes after thousands of Disney employees were laid off amid the strike.

Pushback against picketers has been prominent. NBCUniversal trimmed trees without a permit to allegedly eliminate shade for protestors in the hot weather. They were only fined $250 dollars by the city of Los Angeles.

Many upcoming movies and TV shows have been affected by the strike, including the fifth season of “Stranger Things,” “Saturday Night Live,” and the MCU’s “Blade.”

The strike could last all the way to early 2024, said Screen Actors Guild national director, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.

“I wouldn’t rule out January or February…Everyone should be working hard to make sure that doesn’t happen, but the only way that doesn’t happen is by finding a path to a fair deal,” said Crabtree-Ireland.