For the first time in 63 years, the entertainment unions SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) and the WGA (Writers Guild of America) have gone on strike simultaneously. WGA has been on strike almost three months now and SAG-AFTRA announced its strike decision this afternoon. After weeks of negotiations with The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), both unions have stated that they had no choice but a work stoppage.
The strike rules are strict for both unions. WGA has prohibited its members from writing for any show of any kinds (broadcast, streaming, cable, audio) as well as prohibited members from discussing or pitching projects or negotiating for projects even if negotiations were currently underway when the strike was called. SAG-AFTRA has prohibited its tens of thousands of actors and broadcasters from performing in any capacity for any entity that is part of AMPTP. This not only includes television and film, but any promotion as well. They aren’t allowed to participate in awards shows, Comic-Con, press interviews, premieres of movies they’ve already made, and film festivals. They are even prohibited from participating in social media promotions and campaigns for previously completed works. Voice-over work and narration jobs are also prohibited.
Breaking the strike rules can have dire consequences for the offending writer or performer. If they are members, they can be kicked out of the union; this would prohibit them from being able to work in their trade in the future. If they are not members, working as “scabs” can result in a lifetime ban on ever being granted union membership. Again, bottom line, they won’t be able to work.
Hollywood has ground to a halt. All production has stopped. This double strike is not only going to hurt the studios, who can’t produce content, but the thousands upon thousands of technicians, makeup artists, wardrobe people, caterers, etc. whose livelihoods depend 100% on content production. This is going to hurt everybody. It’s going to cost the studios millions and it’s going to cause a lot of people to go through grave financial hardship, and from the looks of things, for a long time. It’s also necessary.
Before I go any further, in the interest of disclosure, let me tell you that I am a member of both unions.
What’s happening is necessary because of what is at stake. This current contract negotiations have been called an existential threat to the livelihoods of all writers and performers. The unions are, of course, fighting for pay raises and a greater share of revenue from profits generated by their work, but the more important issue is new technology. While the size of writers’ rooms and compensation for streaming hits are big issues, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a major factor in the decisions to strike.
We are near the point where AI can be used to write scripts, thus eliminating the need for writers at all. Will they be good scripts? Who knows? Probably not, but AI’s use will destroy jobs. On the acting side, performers want a guarantee that their images will not be used in television and film without their consent and without compensation. We are nearing a technological point where actors could theoretically end up starring in movies that they had nothing to do with, their performances created using AI, without pay. It sounds crazy, but technologically we’re getting closer and closer to that possibility every day. If you don’t believe me, go see the new Indiana Jones film. In its opening sequences, Harrison Ford has been “de-aged” to the point that you’d swear you were watching a performance he gave in 1983, not 2023.
The studios won’t give the unions any guarantees about how they will or won’t use AI in the creation of future works. That’s what makes this a pivotal moment for both unions. If they get bad contracts with the studios at this juncture, there will be long lasting ramifications that will adversely affect all of these artists. The unions had to draw a line in the sand. Once the AI toothpaste is out of the tube, there’s no putting it back in.
Everybody is hunkering down for a long strike. The broadcast networks will fill their airwaves with reality schlock. The streamers will use preexisting content that hasn’t been aired yet. The rumor is that Netflix is sitting on a trove of standup comedy specials that for one reason or another they had previously declined to air.
It’s going to be long. It’s going to be ugly and, as I said before, it’s necessary for the future of the actual creatives in this business.