“We’re all artists and we all are trying to make art, and the fact that people aren’t being paid fairly for things [makes] it hard, really hard to write and to act,” Calla Hollingsworth said, a senior drama student.
The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strike has been active since the night of July 14, 2023. SAG-AFTRA is a union representing around 160,000 actors, announcers, recording artists, journalists and other media professionals led by their president, Fran Drescher. As artificial intelligence (AI) has become a tool many industries rest on, it decreases the demand for workers to perform tasks and consequently decreases their pay.
Nicole Cyrille, an actor with SAG-AFTRA, who is the chair for Performers With Disabilities and serves as a member of the Negotiations Committee, noted SAG-AFTRA’s demands against the use of AI.
“A huge [demand for SAG-AFTRA] is AI protection. [Corporations] believe that they should be able to scan us digitally [and] take our Voiceprint scanner image. They think that they [can] scan you one day and be able to use you for the rest of their lives. You don’t even own your own identities. They get to do that without paying you, without telling you [or] getting your approval and without telling the audience that this is happening,” Cyrille said.
Another issue is the current amount of pay itself. Out of the 160,000 members of SAG-AFTRA, the union claims that only 13 percent make above $26,000 a year, which barely meets the minimum income threshold for households seeking health insurance.
“Whenever we have a contract dispute, [the public] thinks we’re just whining rich people. Now they’re seeing that most of us are blue-collar workers like everybody else. We’re struggling to pay rent in a one-bedroom apartment,” Cyrille said.
The last time both writers and actors went on strike together was in 1960, battling for healthcare coverage within Hollywood and acting jobs.
“I think it’s definitely been a lesson in business for everyone. This isn’t the first time [actors] have [struck], and it’s by no means going to be the last strike,” Hollingsworth said.
These strikes have been ongoing throughout the summer and many fans and non-SAG-AFTRA members have protested alongside them displaying their support. Junior Josie Smith attended a strike in New York City and felt moved by what she witnessed.
“[There] was a picket line and metal bars, and [there were] probably 25 people holding signs and chanting. A few other girls [and I] went in and got to [protest] with them,” Smith said. “It was inspiring how [the actors] were out there for hours, marching with their shirts and signs.”
While the guild is on strike, members are held accountable to only perform union-related work to the strike. The support from their fan bases never goes unnoticed and pushes their fight even harder.
“To see fans of one of the shows I’m on, fans from all over the world flew to Los Angeles to bring food to our picket line, [showed a] level of kindness and love that just warms your heart… Right now, just keep being loud. Just keep tagging those studio heads and telling them to treat the writers and the actors with dignity and fairness [and] with a living wage. That is what we need. That is what we could use right now from you guys. We appreciate all that we’ve been seeing so far, we really do,” Cyrille said.
As of press time, SAG-AFTRA planned to meet Wednesday, Oct. 4 to begin negotiations.
