Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., picked up a SAG-AFTRA On Strike sign and joined actors and writers on the picket line outside Paramount Studios Friday. For about a half hour, she walked alongside 200 other people marching with signs that read “stop being greedy” and “more streams more dollars” as the cars along busy Melrose Avenue blared their horns in support.
“I’m here today to stand with the SAG-AFTRA workers to listen and to learn from them and to make it clear that workers have the right to bargain,” Porter told Spectrum News. “It’s an incredibly important part of making sure that our economy is strong and healthy.”
The Writers Guild of America’s 11,500 members have been on strike for 102 days. Negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers broke down May 1 over the writers’ demands for higher residuals from streaming media, mandatory staffing levels and guarantees that artificial intelligence won’t be used to replace them.
The Screen Actors Guild’s 160,000 members joined the writers in their strike against the AMPTP July 13. Similar to the WGA, the actors are demanding higher residual payments from streaming companies that are based on a show’s success and restrictions on the use of artificial intelligence.
Members of both groups were part of a large and enthusiastic crowd Friday, walking dogs, pushing baby strollers and chanting along with organizers in a call and response of “What do we want? A fair contract!” as they danced to music from a boom box.
WGA negotiators are set to meet with the AMPTP Friday afternoon, following a request from studio alliance president Carol Lombardini.
“I’m really encouraged that the writers are in conversation,” Porter said. “That’s how we’re going to find a successful contract here. It’s good that we’re back at the table, good that we’re having conversations that are grounded in the power of workers coming together and striking.”
Porter, representing Irvine, is running against fellow Democratic Congressmembers Barbara Lee, who represents Oakland, and Adam Schiff, who represents Burbank, to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein in next year’s race. All three candidates support workers’ rights and governmental efforts to push back on consolidation and automation in various industries.
All three candidates have publicly expressed their support for the Hollywood strikes. They were also co-sponsors of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act to expand labor protections — a bill that passed the House but died in the Senate in prior congressional sessions.
“Income disparity is a huge problem for workers,” said Porter, who is endorsed by IBEW Local 569, Adjunct Faculty United AFT Local 6106 and IBEW Local 441. “One of the things we’re seeing in the writers’ strike and here with SAG-AFTRA is trying to make sure that entry-level folks, newer folks, people who are just getting started who work part time are able to get a fair wage. This is really about building a stable, thriving industry for years to come.”
The film industry contributed about $500 billion to the U.S. economy prior to the pandemic. The twin strikes are estimated to have cost California at least $3 billion so far, according to an analysis from California State University-Northridge. About 20% of the Los Angeles economy involves people who work directly or indirectly for the entertainment industry, according to UCLA.
“It’s exciting that we have politicians who are responsive to the needs of the people who don’t have as much as the ones who are making the decisions in our industry,” WGA member and strike captain Mason Flink told Spectrum News. “I hope this issue is on the forefront of the minds of the people who are running for Senate in this state because we definitely need their help. It’s definitely going to affect who I support.”