Actors like Rosario Dawson, Tina Fey, Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, David Duchovny, and others have been picketing alongside writers and performers from the working class for the past week. They are demonstrating in front of the corporate headquarters and studios of Netflix, Amazon, and MAX, three streaming services. The presence of these well-known actors on the picket lines has given them more celebrity power and a voice on topics that are important to both groups, such as equal pay and protection against artificial intelligence. 11,500 screenwriters and about 65,000 actors—the vast majority of whom do not earn enough from acting to be eligible for health care coverage through their union—are on strike.
Although a large number of picket lines are located in Los Angeles and New York, film and television production is conducted all throughout the nation. Major cities that had strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday included Chicago, Illinois; Boston, Massachusetts; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Actors in London, the capital of Britain, hosted a demonstration in support of the American workers later on Friday. The studios and streaming services are represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The group claims that in addition to making other demands, it gave writers and actors significant wage increases.
Many protesters have taken to the picket lines in response to remarks made by their corporate employers, such as Disney CEO Bob Iger, who last week described the demands of the workers as “not realistic.” Ted Sarandos, co-leader of Netflix, stated at an earnings event on Wednesday that he was raised in a union home and is aware of the hardships that workers face during strikes. We have a strong commitment to reaching a settlement as quickly as feasible. A fair one that makes it possible for the unions, the sector, and all of its participants to advance into the future, he declared.
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