2023 SAG-AFTRA strike
From July 14 to November 9, 2023, the American actors' union SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) was on strike over a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). As the longest strike in SAG-AFTRA history,[2] its combined impact with the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike resulted in the loss of 45,000 jobs,[3] and "an estimated $6.5 billion" loss to the economy of Southern California.[3] According to Deadline Hollywood, the "harshest pain" was "perhaps felt among the below-the-line workers who've had to sell or mortgage their homes, and wipe through IRAs to survive."[4]
"Actors strike" redirects here. For similar walkouts that happened in 1980, see 1980 actors strike.
Along with the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike (which ended on September 27, 2023),[5] it was part of a series of broader Hollywood labor disputes. Both the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes contributed to the biggest interruption to the American film and television industries since the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 just three years prior.[6] In addition to standing in solidarity with the writers, the strike was led by changes in the industry caused by streaming and its effect on residuals, as well as other new technologies like AI and digital recreation. It marked the first time that actors initiated a labor dispute in the U.S. since the 1980 actors strike and the first time that actors and writers have walked out simultaneously since 1960.
Negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP took place from October 2 to October 11 and resumed on October 24. On November 8, 2023, a tentative deal between the two sides was reached. Striking ended on November 9 at 12:01 a.m. PST.[7][8][9][10] On December 5, the SAG-AFTRA membership officially ratified the contract with over 78% of members voting in favor of it.[11][12][13][14]
Strike activity and responses[edit]
Locations[edit]
SAG-AFTRA's strikes in Los Angeles targeted the major film studios as well as offices for companies. Drescher personally joined the strikes outside of Netflix's offices. Josh Gad was among the protestors at Fox Entertainment's picket lines. Allison Janney, Kaitlyn Dever, Logan Lerman, and Joey King joined protests at Warner Bros., and actresses Constance Zimmer and Ginnifer Goodwin took part in picket lines at Paramount's Los Angeles studios. Disney's offices saw picket lines whose notable members included Mandy Moore, Michelle Monaghan, Raini and Rico Rodriguez, Danielle Fishel, and Ben Schwartz.[132][133]
SAG-AFTRA's New York picketing action took place at Paramount's New York headquarters at 1515 Broadway and various offices of NBCUniversal, including Rockefeller Center. Jason Sudeikis joined the NBCUniversal picket lines, stating that actors would strike for "as long as it takes", as did Joe Pantoliano, the Naked Cowboy, Alex Edelman, and Sarah Sherman. Meanwhile, at Paramount's headquarters, picket lines included Michael Schur and Kevin Bacon.[134][132][135][136]
SAG-AFTRA also staged brief strikes at other locations outside of New York and Los Angeles. Branded as "Quick Photo Op" strikes, these took place in Orlando, Honolulu, and Atlanta. The union stated it plans to launch more protests across the country, requesting that SAG-AFTRA members contact their local executives for details.[137]
Media executives' response[edit]
Before the end of SAG-AFTRA's negotiations, one yet-to-be-named AMPTP executive stated that their current strategy was to "allow things to drag on until union members [started] losing their apartments and losing their houses" to force SAG-AFTRA into less favorable negotiating positions.[138]
Casey Bloys, CEO of HBO and Max, said the strike "will slow everything down." He predicted the strike would heavily affect HBO's 2024 season.[139]
Bob Iger, the CEO of The Walt Disney Company, said the actors' demands were "not realistic", adding they were "adding to the set of challenges that this business is already facing". Iger has been criticized for these remarks in light of his contract with Disney, which allows him to earn as much as $27 million in 2023 between his salary and bonuses.[140] TheWrap wrote Iger makes over 500 times the median salary of Disney employees, while Town & Country wrote it was actually 1,242 times a Disney employee's median salary.[141][142] When asked about Iger's remarks, Drescher described them as "repugnant" and "tone deaf." She went on to call Iger a "land baron" who "has no idea about what is really happening".[143] The Wall Street Journal also called Iger "tone deaf".[144] Actor Bryan Cranston responded to Iger in part: "We will not be having our jobs taken away and given to robots."[145]
Politicians' response[edit]
U.S. President Joe Biden, Vermont U.S. senator Bernie Sanders,[146] and Mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass have voiced their support for the actors' union.[147] Biden had previously supported the writers on strike in May 2023.[148][149] Some politicians joined the picket lines themselves, including Burbank mayor Konstantine Anthony (himself a SAG-AFTRA member) and California U.S. Representative Adam Schiff.[150][151] U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined the picket line in front of Netflix studios in New York City. She criticized the wealth of studio executives while the average screenwriter or actor struggles to get access to healthcare, and she emphasized the power of direct action in achieving economic victories.[152]
Both Bass and Governor of California Gavin Newsom have offered to help mediate an end to the strikes.[153][154]
Other unions' response[edit]
Numerous other labor unions in the United States expressed support for the strike. Along with the Writers' Guild, statements of support were released by the Directors Guild and Producers Guild. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, itself in a contractual dispute with UPS[155] and scheduled to go on strike at the end of July if no deal is reached, expressed support through a statement released by their president, Sean O'Brien.[156] The AFL–CIO additionally threw their support behind SAG-AFTRA, as did the Department for Professional Employees,[157] the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, and the Writers Guild of America, East.[158][159]
Other organizations' response[edit]
Two forthcoming film festivals, the Toronto International Film Festival and the Venice International Film Festival, have acknowledged the potential impact of the strike and its associated ban on promotional appearances by actors if the strike is not resolved by September but have indicated that both events will proceed regardless, with an increase of Canadian, European, Asian, and South American titles in all sections being expected.[160][161] However, leaders of SAG-AFTRA had been adamant that actors in movies with interim agreements should be at festivals to promote them.[162]
