Strike Back

The real issues behind the creative unions strike.

SAG-Aftra is on strike.

My career in entertainment has been marked with a marginalization of talent in favor of driving profit.

Well, of course you say. You need a robust profit. Yes, but there’s other costs to the WAY we do business.

I can give you an example.

There used to a concept in tbe US called runaway production. Quaint, I know. The idea was if you left the US to AVOID union contracts you violated agreements.

Can you imagine?

How dare they.

But here’s a subtle twist.

Producers SUPPORTED this idea. It was almost a point of honor to stay in the US and not trundle down to Cape Town to save bucks.

What were they doing? What were they thinking? I believe it was to build and support the industry and all the local workers. The local workers after all are the ones paying taxes for roads and bridges. The local workers send their kids to the same schools. They shop at the same grocery store. They are your neighbors.

One thing not fully understood about these strikes, SAG-AFTRA, WGA is they also affect a huge segment of workers NOT in the union. Grips and gaffers. Caterers. Drivers…