This Tuesday, the trade unions of cinema and television met again to demonstrate. On strike since May, they are demanding better working conditions, fearing the rise of artificial intelligence.
The struggle continues. This Tuesday, August 22 in New York, hundreds of professionals from the American film and television industry demonstrated in union unity, at the foot of the giants Amazon and HBO, to demand better working conditions and worker safety. employment, faced with the threat of artificial intelligence. This demonstration – there are almost every day in Manhattan – was exceptional because organized on the occasion of the “National Day of Trade Union Solidarity”and at the call of all the professional organizations of the small and big screen.
“Never seen” determination and union unity
A double strike movement has paralyzed Hollywood since May for screenwriters joined in July by actresses and actors. “As you can see, it’s massive! The movement has only grown (…) with union solidarity, determination and unity that has never been seen”, welcomed to AFP Ezra Knight, president of the New York branch of the powerful union of actors and actresses SAG-AFTRA. Last week, Natalie Portman canceled her visit to the Deauville festival, which will open on September 1, to show her support for actors and screenwriters on strike in Hollywood.
Yesterday’s demonstration in New York was animated by slogans, banners and horns of support from motorists. “I’m scared, but I feel good here. We’re fighting for something, being part of a big group and feeling that we’re all in the same boat is something reassuring”told AFP Laura Houha, a 34-year-old actress from the same union.
The world of cinema and television at a standstill
These two strikes in Hollywood – unheard of since 1960 – halted all American film and television production, with the exception of reality TV and games. The Emmy Awards ceremony, the “Oscars” of television, has even been postponed from September 18 to January 15, 2024.
The SAG-AFTRA union, which represents 160,000 actors, stuntmen, dancers and other TV and film professionals, prohibits all of its members from filming, but also from promoting their productions, in person or on social networks. The union organization is calling for better pay, job protection and a framework for the use of artificial intelligence, a “threat” according to their leader Ezra Knight.
Since the start of the mobilization, the dialogue between the WGA screenwriters’ union and the bosses of studios and streaming platforms – such as Prime, HBO, Amazon and Warner Bros. Discovery – is almost non-existent. A glimmer of hope, however, has emerged in recent days: the unions have managed to sit down with the AMPTP, the organization of producers, including Disney and Netflix.
A “good sign” according to Ezra Knight. The manifestation of“today shows that the social movement has always been active in America, but remains threatened by the quest for profits of capitalists and corporations. But (…) here we are, the struggle continues”assured the trade unionist.