#wga is coming out strong

[thatrandomblogsays]

I’m so happy for them

[Image Description: Castiel from Supernatural is saying I love you, underneath is an image of Dean Winchester with the caption: “After four months of striking the WGA has a reached a tentative agreement & finalizing the contract. If all goes well writers will get to return to work with better pay and protections. They did it. Go unions”]

(Source)

#wga solidarity #wga strong #after months of watching union busting and anti union tactics #wga is coming out strong #hopefully sag is next! #writers strike #support unions #wga strike #sag strike #supernatural meme #destiel #destiel meme #workers rights #fuck the amptp #destiel news #mine #we’ve hit the note amount where people start fighting in the notes #stop fighting kids #but also the strike was absolutely necessary #withholding labor is how unions negotiate for better rights #the CEOs are multimillionaires who refused to pay proper wages #they needed to receive heavy losses so they’d actually come to the table listen to union demands

[shiplessoceans]

Neil Gaiman lovingly serving us the Good Omens 2 trailer:

#neil gaiman #it's almost like writers are how good media gets made #support the writers strike #good omens s2 #wga strong #wga solidarity #please watch the absolute shit out of this when it comes out #frances mcdormand knows i will do my part but i am only one human

[coherently-screaming]

I know Tumblr folks are very understanding and supportive of the WGA strike, which is super refreshing to see as a writer, but I have noticed that understanding absolutely does not translate into real life.

I’ve only talked to maybe ten people about the strike, but most of them have no clue about how terrifying and depressing this all is. Most of them understand after *I* explain it to them, but news outlets are failing to explain why this strike needs to work out for the writers guild and how awful the studios are. Most of them care more about movie and television delays than the effect this is going to have on writers now and in the future.

You want your shows and movies to come out? Okay, but do you want them to have a chance of being good? You want the late night talk shows back? Do you want them to be funny? Do you know anyone with a passion for writing? Do you want them to have a chance of surviving in their chosen career? Then support the WGA and stop complaining.

It’s really frustrating how undervalued writers are, and a lot of the time (I’m part of the problem here I will admit it) they get the most hate when in reality studios and show runners are truly the villains. Shitty shows aren’t always terrible because of bad writing, but because of what studios and show runners block the writers from including. Yet, writers get the hate and are barely making pennies at the same time.

And despite all of this people are still surprised that the WGA strike is lasting so long. It’s not the writers who are being stubborn, it’s the studios. Studios would rather pump garbage through an AI to save dimes and focus on quantity over quality, because that’s what they have decided is in their interest. It’s bullshit. An AI cannot compare to a group of humans, even if those humans are idiots, and with streaming becoming so incredibly popular over cable and satellite, writers, actors, and directors alike need to be properly accommodated for their work in new ways.

Anyway, fuck major studios, fuck capitalism (it’s the root of this issue), and fuck any hope that the people controlling the media could be half decent human beings.

WGA Strong.

#writers guild of america #wga strike #wga strong #rant

[wanderinginksplot]

What to watch during the writer's strike:

Don't pay attention to companies who blame writers for delayed movies and television shows! The WGA strike comes from people who are trying to make things better - not only for themselves and other writers, but the films and tv shows we all love.

While we wait for a resolution, I thought I would share some existing television shows that I enjoy. I didn't bother with too much well-known stuff. Instead, I focused on shows I feel many people missed because of the glut of content that all premiered at once over the last few years. (I may make another one of these for movies later on, but this one is about tv.)

[Update: Movie version here]

Feel free to add on! Just try to give a quick, spoiler-free synopsis for the show and the streaming service where it can be found.

List under the cut!

Netflix:

The Good Place (2016-2020) - A 'bad' woman is accidentally sent to heaven. She and her moral philosophy professor of a soulmate try to save her soul by making her a better person. Genre: Comedy with deeper implications and one of the best endings in television history.

Russian Doll (2019-2022) - When Nadia dies at her birthday party, she's more than a little confused to come back. Especially when it keeps happening. Genre: Time loop drama with a wicked sense of humor and a dash of theoretical physics. Potentially not ended?

Narcos (2015-2017) - The fight of the American DEA and the Colombian army against cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar and his reign of terror. Genre: Drama with thrilling elements. Lots of violence, some sex and language. Lots of subtitles. Features Pedro Pascal and Boyd Holbrook, if you need some extra incentive.

Derry Girls (2018-2022) - Five teens grow up in Derry, Ireland in the 1990s, amid the final years of the Troubles, a low-level war that lasted roughly 30 years. Genre: Comedy. Some sexual content, some religious content, less violence than you would expect, and the best nun ever to appear on film.

Arcane (2021-?) - Two sisters are alienated when one accidentally kills their adoptive father. Their different paths threaten the fragile peace of a city already on the breaking point. Genre: Drama with elements of action-adventure. Though it's animated, Arcane's animation is beautifully done with tantalizing steampunk elements that will keep you invested.

Disney+:

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020) - If you haven't seen any of the Star Wars animated series, this is a good place to start. Set in the time gap between Episode II and Episode III, this series helps flesh out Anakin Skywalker and the Jedi. It is also a great introduction to some of the characters and plots of The Mandalorian. (Star Wars: Rebels is another good choice.) Genre: Adventure with some drama. Violence and death are a large part of The Clone Wars, but it's usually appropriate for children. The clone troopers will steal your heart!

Gravity Falls (2012-2016) - Dipper Pines and his sister Mabel are sent to Gravity Falls, Oregon to live with their great-uncle for their summer break. But when Dipper finds a mysterious book in the woods, the pair find that Gravity Falls is far more mysterious than it seems... Genre: Adventure with a lot of comedy. Though it's billed as a children's cartoon, Gravity Falls is an intriguing watch with mystery subplots that will keep anyone guessing. It also features a famously strong and cohesive series ending. I was in my late 20s when I first watched this and I was still invested!

Daredevil (2015-2018) - After being blinded as a young boy, Matthew Murdock trained his other senses to replace the sight that he lost. He uses his skills to protect the helpless in the New York City neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen. Genre: Action and superhero. Features a lot of incredibly choreographed violence. (Jessica Jones is also an excellent show to watch, especially if you think of David Tennant as the consummate 'good guy'. He's got range!)

HBO Max (Just 'Max' now, I guess):

Ghosts (2019-2023) - Petty roommate squabbles don't stop just because you're dead! Alison and her husband Mike inherit a house, then a near-death experience allows Alison to see its ghostly inhabitants. Chaos and humor ensue as the ghosts try to adjust to the house's new owners. Genre: Humor. Ghosts is a British sitcom, but since the writers are comedians (writing and performing in Horrible Histories), the show is done in a style that feels more natural to American viewers. Hint: watch the BBC version, not the American one. They're fairly similar, but definitely not the same!

Pushing Daisies (2007-2009) - A pie-maker with the ability to bring back the dead helps to solve murders. He's helped by his once-dead childhood sweetheart. Genre: Comedy with some dramatic elements. Some of the CGI-heavy moments haven't aged particularly well, but the show has a unique premise and an incredibly talented cast!

Hulu:

Abbott Elementary (2021-?) - This mockumentary series showcases an inner-city elementary school in Philadelphia. The teachers and administration do their best for the kids, but they're constrained by budgets and the limitations of the educational system itself. Genre: Comedy mockumentary. Though Abbott Elementary is fictional, some of the issues brought up are all too real. This is a funny and incisive look at the American public school system.

Amazon Prime:

Fleabag (2016-2019) - The unnamed protagonist of the show struggles through life on her own with limited support from her alienated family and the memories of her recently deceased best friend. Genre: Comedy with lots of dramatic elements. Lots of sexual content and references, some language, breaking the fourth-wall, and several characters you just long to hit. I watched the second season in a single day, that's how good this was.

Unknown Streaming Service:

Black Sails (2014-2017) - This prequel to Treasure Island features elements from the book, original characters, and real pirates from history in a setting that emphasizes realism. Captain Flint and his crew search for a legendary prize... one that might allow them to claim Nassau for their own. Genre: Action and adventure. Think Game of Thrones, but with pirates. Incredibly well-written and well-acted with gorgeous scenery, LGBTQ representation, and just enough historical accuracy to keep things grounded. Black Sails also boasts one of the best endings ever given for a television show.

Like I said, please feel free to reblog and add your own television show recommendations onto this list! There are plenty of things to watch and plenty of ways to support the WGA strike that don't involve giving in to big studios.

#the good place #russian doll #narcos #derry girls #arcane #star wars the clone wars #star wars rebels #gravity falls #daredevil #ghosts #bbc ghosts #pushing daisies #abbott elementary #fleabag #black sails #television #television show #tv shows #tv recommendations #wga strike #recommendations #ink's life

[wookofwallst]

(Article) SAG-AFTRA union members overwhelmingly agree to strike.

With the WGA strike wrapping up today after 148 days of stoppage and strong protections being negotiated. It looks like another strike is gearing up and getting ready to go.

SAG-AFTRA claims that 98% of those who were asked if they would participate in a strike agreed to do so. 35 thousand members have agreed to walk out and strike if nessicary.

Several attempts at negotiations since October of 2022 have failed with the following game companies:

Activision Productions Inc

Blindlight LLC

Disney Character Voices Inc.

Electronic Arts Productions Inc.

Formosa Interactive LLC

Insomniac Games Inc.

Epic Games

Take 2 Productions Inc.

VoiceWorks Productions Inc.

WB Games Inc.

These companies have refused to offer acceptable terms on a number of issues, including wage increases, protections against artificial intelligence, and safety precautions. Without the hardworking labour of these companies employees they wouldn't be able to publish the games they do. Without the immense pressure put on the employees, they can come out with a game that actually works and is created. Companies, especially video game companies, have been seeing record profits and record profits should mean record wages.

President of SAG-AFTRA Fran Drescher says that:

“It’s time for the video game companies to stop playing games and get serious about reaching an agreement on this contract, The result of this vote shows our membership understands the existential nature of these negotiations, and that the time is now for these companies — which are making billions of dollars and paying their CEOs lavishly — to give our performers an agreement that keeps performing in video games as a viable career."

The biggest concern of union members is the unfettered use of artificial intelligence. AI has already been used in several key places like posters and in-game art. SAG-AFTRA wants to ensure that its voice actors and actresses, writers, and anyone else who is a memeber are not being exploited for their labor.

Looking at the WGA strike that just ended, several consessions were made in favor of the workers. They will receive a 12% pay increase, 5% on ratification, and 3.5% over the next 2 years following the agreement. They also relieved a 76% increase in streaming residuals. Depending on the size of the next project, laborers will receive a garuenteed 10-20 weeks of work.

I'd expect something similar to take place with the new SAG-AFTRA strike. It will be interesting to watch, I stand with all those in a union to create better working conditions and a more sustainable future for themselves!

#personal #video games #twitch #gaming #live streaming #twitch streamer #livestream #armored core #elden ring #starfield #sag aftra #wga strike #sag strike #strike #news #article

[morallyinept]

So, after yesterday's excitement at seeing Frankie TF2 Pedro showing his support for his fellow workers and colleagues on the picket line, the WGA has reached a deal meaning the writer's strike is effectively over as of the early hours of Wednesday 27th September 2023, save for hashing out the final agreements.

I am so very glad that they have been listened to (although, it should have happened a lot sooner ) and the terms they've specified have been granted.

However, the knock on effects will still be felt across Hollywood, and across the film and TV industry for a long while yet.

The SAG-AFTRA is still currently striking, meaning that Pedro, and his fellow actors, won't be returning to work, or our screens, just yet.

This means that Pedro's projects that he was currently filming before the strike, such as Gladiator 2, and his future projects, such as The Last Of Us Season 2, could still be delayed from hitting our screens, even well into 2025.

☝🏻But, as I am sure you'll all agree, the delay will be absolutely worth it.

In a nutshell, the companies have refused to offer acceptable terms on some of the issues most critical to the SAG-AFTRA members, including wages that keep up with inflation, protection around exploitative uses of artificial intelligence, and basic safety precautions, such as on-set safety.

Pedro, along with all his SAG-AFTRA colleagues, work extremely hard to bring us the beloved characters we all know, and fall in love with.

Acting is an art, but also a profession. Something Pedro chose to do for his career and gets paid to do. Therefore, as a paid job, he is entitled to basic contract protection and assurances. The fact that he is in the spotlight whilst he does his job, does not, and should not, make a difference to his entitlements.

So, here's wishing Pedro all the best in standing his ground and staying true to his beliefs, showing his grit for his rights and entitlements, and fellow colleagues. And remaining strong in the face of adversity and challenging times. 💪🏻

And as a worker, even if he is known as a "celebrity", he still deserves to have all those basic employee rights as standard.

It also doesn't matter when Pedro stood on the picket line physically. Be it the first day, the last day, or in between. Hell, he may have chosen never to do it, and that's perfectly fine. He has shown his support right from the get-go, and Pedro is NOT a performing monkey. Nor should our "expectations" as fans extinguish the fact that he has been adhering to the strike's terms since day one. And, some could argue, even before that as we all know Pedro is a keen advocate for rights in all forms.

Of course, it was wonderful to see him there, and being all smiley and supportive, which is just typical of Pedro anyway - he is indeed smiley and supportive. But equally, it should never have been expected of him to be there physically, from anyone.

Now that the WGA has reached their deal, here's hoping SAG-AFTRA succeeds in theirs next.

What an incredible human being. 🖤💛

I found this helpful article below that explains in more detail about what's happened, happening, and likely to happen in the future with the WGA, if you're a little confused.

🖤

#pedro pascal #jose pedro balmaceda pascal #sag aftra strong #wga strike #wga strong #sag aftra strike #frankie 'catfish' morales #triple frontier 2 #triple frontier frankie #support your writers #support your actors #jett has spoken

[fans4wga]

The WGA is winning the PR battle.

"Overall, 71 percent of Americans with an opinion backed the writers in their dispute with AMPTP. The survey indicated that the dispute has high visibility with the public, with more than 80 percent of Americans polled saying they had an opinion on the ongoing strike."

That's an amazing number, significantly higher than the 60% of people who supported the last strike in mid-December 2007 (a little over a month from when the strike started on November 5.)

What's next? -> Public support DROPPED over the course of the strike in 2007. People got upset their shows weren't airing, and while we sympathize with fans, the writers' concerns have to come first. We should be getting the word out to our friends, families, and communities so that doesn't happen again. We should be scheduling reminders in a few weeks or a few months to post again on social media to boost morale even when time is passing.

Wouldn't it be great if 75 or 80% of Americans supported the strike in a month? We can do that if fans and audiences everywhere keep pushing for a better understanding of what the WGA's very reasonable demands are.

Now is the time to get mad that Willow is getting canned and deleted, that Lockwood & Co. was unceremoniously cancelled, that Netflix is dangling the Six of Crows spinoff over fans' heads and forcing Shadow and Bone fans to replay seasons again and again in the hopes of getting a renewal. Get angry and agitate for change. Tweet #IStandWithTheWGA and #DoTheWriteThing. Team up with your fandom to send food & snacks to the picket lines (see here for an example, and reach out to this account if you need help getting started with any fan initiative!)

Send a message of WGA support on Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max or any other streaming site you own. (Sample letter available here.)

It's an untenable, inhospitable landscape for fans, so support the writers for a healthier entertainment industry.

Studio greed can only be restrained by a strong union. Support the WGA to fix what the studios broke.

follow @fans4wga for reliable strike news, from an organization of fans working in solidarity with WGA members.

#fans4wga #writers guild strike #current events #wga strike #writers strike

[aidenwaites]

Dont forget that this is not a boycott and that as of right now, "not crossing the picket line" mainly refers to those within the industry not writing for, going into talks, or making deals with the companies that fall under the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, representing pretty much every large production company under the sun). As of right now there is no official boycott or call to cancel subscriptions. Boycotts on a large scale, unless officially called for, could do damage to the strike, whether through harming potential negotiations or preventing pay for striking workers through residuals and the like from projects that they've already worked on.

The best support for the strike right now will mainly come from social pressure on the AMPTP, and the official website (wgacontract2023.org) has a social media toolkit that includes info graphics, icons, and other material that can be posted online. There is also potential good to be done with monetary/mutual aid support in cities with a strong entertainment industry. The wga website has links to funds to help with financial aid for union members. Another post mentioned looking out for suggestions or news from local chapters of IATSE and Teamsters, which is a pretty great suggestion.

That said, I also think that as the strike goes on, this is a great time to seek out more indie entertainment. Tubi seems like sort of a haven for indie films right now, and my suggestion is always to look for titles you've never heard of just to give them a go. I promise you'll have fun!

Remember to support the strike, but also that the goal is to not have to strike! This is going to be a hard time for industry workers, but they're doing it for the good of the industry as a whole.

(Dating this on 5/3/2023. Look to the wga website for the most current news on the strike).

Edit: I originally wrote the MPAA instead of the AMPTP, whoops.

#wga strike #also should be noted: if you are not a union member but thats something thats like. potentially in your future #do not work for struck companies during this time. the wga has a policy against accepting new members who took scab contracts during #a strike

[nickcarr-scoutstories]

Hi everyone, I hope you've had a good year. It's been quite a while since I was last posting here regularly - I think maybe February or March. A number of you have written to me over the past many months to ask if I was OK and if I’d be returning with daily updates about scouting, and I’m sorry I haven’t gotten back sooner.

The simple answer for why I haven’t been sharing stories and pictures from my life as a movie location scout is that, since March of this year, I haven’t been a movie location scout.

As you may have heard, the film industry had two major strikes this year. The first kicked off on May 1 when the Writers Guild decided strike; the second on July 14, when SAG joined them on the picket lines.

But if you look at the timeline, something’s off. If the strikes didn’t begin until May, why have I been out of work since March?

When you work in film and TV, you go from project to project, as opposed to working directly for a particular studio. In January, I was just wrapping up the final season of FX’s Snowfall, one my favorite shows I’ve ever scouted for (you really get to explore your dark side when you’re asked to find creative places to stage murders and drug deals on a weekly basis!).

Typically, there are always a number of new productions gearing up at the beginning of the year, and it rarely takes longer than a few weeks to hop on something. Except, as I started reaching out to see what was on the horizon, something became starkly clear: there was nothing.

It quickly became apparent that the studios, anticipating that the strikes were likely to happen, opted to simply halt all new productions. That meant that by the time you heard about the writers strike in May, thousands of below-the-line crew like myself had already been out of work for months, with many more months to go.

I know hindsight is 20/20 and all, but I still kick myself for not predicting what was likely to happen in advance. Ha, in fact, as proof of my ignorance, when my five-year-old camera finally broke toward the end of Snowfall, I decided it was the perfect time to treat myself to a brand-new Sony set-up. That new camera has sat unused on my shelf laughing at me ever since.

Once I realized the severity of the situation, two things became clear: one, the strikes were going to last for a long time. And two, there was absolutely nothing I could do about it, other than to find a way for my family and I to survive until everything resolved.

As part of this effort, I made the conscious decision to focus my attention only on things I could control, and that were positive influences in my life. For that reason, I had to turn away from anything industry-related (a good decision in hindsight, as roughly 95% of the media predictions and insider sources about the strikes turned out to be wrong).

And by extension, I also stepped back from posting here. It was just too sad to try to write with my normal enthusiasm about scouting and exploring when everything about my work was in such upheaval.

Both strikes have now come to an end, and despite all the pessimistic naysayers, both unions wound up with extremely good deals that the studios initially swore were simply not possible. Though I’m neither SAG nor WGA, all of the benefits and protections I have from being a Teamster only come from working in an industry with extremely strong unions. If there was any question, 2023 made it undeniably clear.

My family has made it through, our credit scores bruised but otherwise happy and healthy and looking forward to a much brighter 2024. I was able to accomplish several projects that would have literally never happened if not for the strikes, including one creative endeavor that may be the best thing I’ve ever written and I can’t wait to share with you.

Hollywood has been slow to re-open, and I’m still waiting to put that camera to use on the first post-strike feature or TV show. Thankfully though, some print advertising work in the past few weeks has given me an excuse to finally take it off the shelf and wipe the dust off. And there are growing rumblings that the TV/movie floodgates should burst soon.

Finally, I wanted to end the year on a positive note by putting out the delayed third issue of my Scout Stories publication. This one is for you Scouting NY fans, and focuses on my all-time favorite “hidden in plain sight” locations and finds on the streets of New York from my ten years of scouting there. I’ll have the big announcement with purchase links up either later today or tomorrow, and they will definitely come in time for Christmas, should you be looking for a unique stocking stuffer!

So that’s what’s happened, where I’ve been, what I’ve been up to, and what’s ahead. If you asked me to sum up 2023, I’d say that financially, it was terrible! But in all truth, it was a happy year, simply because I made it a point to focus on the things that brought happiness.

Sharing my work as a scout with you has always made me happy, and I’m very much looking forward to doing a lot more of it in the coming year.

Happy holidays!

Nick

[zee-rambles]

Hey...... uh... like I know we want rise back, but like. Maybe not right now... becuase like, there's. You know. The Writer Strike Going On. If they start making the show again, right now, it's going to be trash

@margoteve

I see you guys…and yeah…that is tough. I am supporting the WGA strike as much as I can…and looking for places to donate what little I have (college is expensive, heh!).

We can’t stop now. We need to keep interest up, prove that people LOVE Rise of the TMNT, otherwise Nickelodeon will not hesitate to pull the plug and shut the door. Nickelodeon will most likely wait until AFTER Mutant Mayhem to make any big decisions about Rise.

And Nickelodeon is looking for ANY reason to give up on Rise. If we stop supporting it, they won’t think it’s because we’re supporting WGA. If fact, none of the big companies, that have shows to sell, will think that way. They will see viewership and interest in Rise go down. They will listen to the numbers and think of it as no more then a phase that does not need to be invested in. When Rise was airing, bad faith reviews were what Nickelodeon listened to, not the small amount of fans saying it’s good, not the fact that covid was happening, not the fact that they did not put it on TV enough, not the fact that they then moved it to another channel that not a lot of people have or watch.

They’re not going to start working on Rise right away, especially since they’re pushing for a new project. BUT, that does NOT mean we should give up. And this is super important. Nickelodeon will be looking to see if interest in Rise persists AFTER The Mutant Mayhem movie, and if people don’t keep coming into the fan base and keeping it alive until then, then it has NO chance. If Both Rise and Mutant Mayhem don’t persist together, then Nickelodeon will prioritize one over the other. They will dismiss Rise as over because another series came up and took its place.

Even if Rise got renewed now…it would still be a bit before we see anything of it. It takes time to create a show. And I hope that, by the time Rise IS saved, WGA would succeed. I SO want WGA to get the respect it deserves. As someone that always wanted to be a writer/creator, I want more then anything for WGA to succeed, because Hollywood needs writers to make its magic work.

All we can do is KEEP RISE GOING STRONG, show that there is interest, that there is demand. And if it DOES get renewed…then it’s up to US to make our demands known. The same way people screamed at paramount until they changed Sonic the Hedgehog’s design, fans need to scream at Nickelodeon to make Rise something of quality. Tell them we want Andy Suriano, Ant Ward, JJ Conway, and as much of the OG cast and crew back, as possible. TELL them we WANT them to support WGA.

Look, right now, I want Rise to come back more then anything, and I fully believe it can return the way we want it to. It takes an ocean of voices to flood that tower of greed that we call corporations. All we can do is keep making that wave bigger. And hopefully, by then, WGA would have succeeded in their take over. So support both!

SUPPORT WGA! SUPPORT RISE! SUPPORT ARTISTS! SUPPORT WRITERS! Don’t stop fighting for the shows you love! (If Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance came back, I would flip my LID!) Get out there on social media and TELL people that you won’t support ANY show unless it’s good and the writers are respected.

#rottmnt #save rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt #unpause rottmnt #save rise of the tmnt #rottmnt leo #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt mikey #rottmnt raph #Nickelodeon #writers guild strike #writers guild of america #demand good writing #corporations

[thefirsthogokage]

Ok, so if anyone, like me, has been wondering when other contracts are up, here ya go:

In the tweet (Which QTs a shot of a large group of people from different unions in LA who's contracts are up soon that came together yesterday (I think)), Justine Bateman says these are the expiration dates:

SAG (Screen Actors Guild) June 30

DGA (Directors Guild of America) June 30

Local 11 (hotel, event, sports arenas, conventions workers) June 30

UPS (United Postal Service, not the same as USPS which is the government mail delivery service) July 31

So, yeah. I'm hoping the DGA woke up with that MAX bullshit about lumping in all writers and directors under the label of "creators". Apparently, that went against the WGA and DGA contracts which have explicit rules about crediting writers in directors (which I'm pretty sure it says in one or two of those tweets in the post I linked in the last sentence).

I fully anticipate with how active Local 11 has been walking with WGA, and other unions, that they are certainly prepared to strike too.

(link to first tweet) (link to second tweet)

And in the video in this tweet, and this tweet, you can see them flying two different flags of their union while marching with a whole of various union members. They are at least 20k members strong. That would do so much damage to the hotels there, and could effect actors, crew, and creative team members that come from out of town for work. Not to mention a whole lot of other people, of course.

Apparently, a hotel housekeeper has to work 17 hours a day to afford a two bedroom apartment in the city. Geezus.

Also, I would think UPS has been poised to strike for a while, considering how bad they have it on their trucks alone, from what I remember.

#oh look #i had spoons and understanding to link things and do some summary #this is rare #wga #sag #sag aftra #local 11 #dga #ups #wga strike #wha strong #strike solidarity #writers guild of america #screen actors guild #directors guild of america

[irregularincidents]

In light of the current WGA and SAG AFTRA Strikes still going strong at well over 100 days at this point, I thought that it would be interesting to cover another strike by creative folk in Hollywood: the 1941 Disney Animators Strike.

For context, by 1941 the other major animation studios in Hollywood by this point had unionised, following the first being the 1937 Fleischer Studios Strike which produced the first union contracts, while over at Disney the studio remained a firm holdout.

However, due to a series of incidents, including Disney not following through on the promise to share profits from the phenomenally successful Snow White (trade papers at the time reported that Disney’s studio was going to distribute an estimated 20% of Snow White’s earnings among the studio’s 800 employees, the actual bonuses those artists received were equal to or less than what they had previously received for the studio’s short films, with some Snow White animators, including Art Babbitt, did not receive any bonuses for their work), the alienating behaviour of Gunther Lessing (the lawyer responsible for Disney copyrighting Micky Mouse), and other factors (such as Disney's management style consisting of playing favourites, stealing credit and so on) understandably led to tensions rising within the company.

Things came to a head in 1941, when Art Babbitt, his highest-paid animator, resigned as president of the Disney company union to join the Animation Guild. After Disney fired Art in retaliation three days later, the strike was on.

The strike went on for five weeks, and destroyed the somewhat communal atmosphere some felt that the studio had amongst its staff at the time. Support came in the form of labour organiser Herbert Sorrell, a former boxer, who had successfully lead some other Hollywood strikes, including one with the Screen Actors Guild in the mid-1940s that brought him into conflict with their president, a man by the name of Ronald Reagan.

A notable incident involving Sorrell came when rumours of hired goons were coming to break the strike, leading to Sorrell send a gang of Lockheed aircraft mechanics with monkey wrenches to guard the tents of the striking animators which were pitched on the land across from the Disney Studio. It turned out to be merely a rumor and no damage was done, although Walt did reportedly almost get into a fight with Art

Eventually, FDR ended up having to send a federal negotiator to resolve the dispute, where they found in favour of the strikers in every issue. Disney, for his part, reportedly had been nearing a mental breakdown over the animators' "betrayal" left on a tour of Latin America to try and ease tensions.

Disney never forgave the strikers for the strike, and would maintain for years that rather than it being due to any mismanagement on his part, it was due to the animators being infiltrated by communists. Specifically, Herbert Sorrell, whom Disney would later report to the House of Un-American Activities Committee in 1947 as a communist infiltrator who was trying to turn his employees against him.

Y'know, so he learned nothing.

#irregular incidents #history #american history #labour #labour history

[denimbex1986]

'The cast of "Oppenheimer" made good on their promise that they would walk out of the film's premiere in London if SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) officially called to strike following the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers)'s failure to offer an equitable deal. While on the red carpet, "Oppenheimer" star Emily Blunt told Deadline, "I think right now we are just sorting of ... I hope everyone makes a fair deal and we are here to celebrate this movie." She continued, "And if they call it, we'll be leaving together as cast in unity with everyone ... We are gonna have to. We are gonna have to. We will see what happens. Right now it's the joy to be together."

Matt Damon echoed Blunt's sentiments. His company has already shut down the production of one film in solidarity with the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike but recognized that this strike is not about celebrities consistently pulling in huge paychecks. "If our leadership is saying that the deal isn't fair, then we gotta hold strong until we get a deal that's fair for working actors," he said. "It's the difference between having healthcare and not for a lot of actors, and we gotta do what's right by them."

Well, the cast proved not to be all talk, as Blunt, Damon, Florence Pugh, Cillian Murphy, and many others in attendance walked out of the "Oppenheimer" premiere. This is standard practice for a SAG-AFTRA strike, which does not permit actors to do any promotional work, including press junkets, film premieres, and fan events like conventions.

Now I am become strike, the destroyer of studio greed

The entertainment industry is now in the midst of a double strike, which hasn't happened in over 60 years. The Director's Guild of America elected to ratify their deal with the AMPTP in June, avoiding a strike but certainly making them look clownish as they no longer have scripts or performers to direct until both strikes come to an end. Hope that "truly historic deal" was worth it and that you're excited to call "action" to AI holograms speaking lines written by ChatGPT, y'all! To be clear, my barbs are pointed at the leadership who buckled into accepting a deal, not the DGA as a whole, many of whom are in solidarity with both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA.

"Oppenheimer" is just the first of many film premieres that will be impacted by the strike. Just before the screening of the film in London, director Christopher Nolan addressed the crowd by acknowledging the hard work of the actors and respecting their choice not to attend the rest of the premiere. "They're off to go and write their picket signs," Nolan explained to the audience, who all cheered in solidarity with the actors' decision to leave.

Shortly after their exit, SAG-AFTRA held a press conference to announce the strike, which goes into effect one minute past midnight. I hope the studios are ready. If they thought the WGA picketers were disruptive, they're in for a rude awakening when thousands of former theater kids are unleashed outside their gates.'

#Oppenheimer #SAG-AFTRA #Christopher Nolan #Emily Blunt #Matt Damon #Cillian Murphy #Florence Pugh #WGA

[acillianproblem]

By Eileen Cartter

The Oppenheimer star hit what could be his final red-carpet appearance for the foreseeable future in a sheer Saint Laurent look that would melt the polymer right off a Ken doll’s torso.

Shortly before Cillian Murphy and his fellow Oppenheimer cast members walked off a London red carpet on Thursday in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA joining the WGA on the picket line, the actor debuted his biggest fit yet: a black-pinstriped Saint Laurent suit worn open over a gauzy sheer shirt, with a gold-tipped bolo tie, high-waisted trousers, and a pair of the brand’s Wyatt boots—or, as they’re known ’round these parts, “the Rolex of Chelsea boots.”

Photos of Murphy—whose ice-blue eyes could gouge a diamond—attending various Oppenheimer premieres over the last week have already garnered meme cachet online. But this look—and his facial expressions while wearing it—seemed to signal that he (and his stylist, Rose Forde) had saved the best for last. (The London event could be his final red carpet for a while; per the strike, SAG members cannot participate in press tours or events.) Throughout the truncated promotional run, the actor’s fashion choices have emitted a certain “nuclear Kenergy” in stark contrast with his bubblegum confrères over in Barbie Land, which has become Oppenheimer’s spiritual counter-realm. In other words, Cillian Murphy, who portrays the titular “father of the atomic bomb” J. Robert Oppenheimer in his film, has sort of been dressing like the Anti-Ken.

Where there’s Ryan Gosling, in his pastel cotton-candy-pink and blue-raspberry-hued Gucci suits, there’s also Murphy, in his brooding, pseudo-sexy YSL. (Inside you are two wolves, as they say.) At Oppenheimer’s first premiere in Paris, Murphy arrived in a custom Prada tan shirt and matching short tie—not unlike a World War II-era khaki summer service uniform, making it nearly period-appropriate given Oppenheimer’s milieu—with a dark jacket worn, chicly, with just the top button buttoned. During a rainy photocall in London’s Trafalgar Square, Murphy wore Margiela shades and a staunch Studio Nicholson cardigan over a simple white T-shirt, tucked into another pair of high-waisted trousers; he wore a similar look, this time with a nubby red cardigan and Ray-Bans, the next day.

Though the Barbie vs. Oppenheimer style rivalry held strong, the movies’ respective stars—in another show of solidarity—have expressed nothing but excitement for their fellow thespians’ efforts. “I mean, I’ll be going to see Barbie, 100 percent. I can’t wait to see it,” Murphy told IGN this week. “I think it’s just great for the industry and for audiences that we have two amazing films by amazing filmmakers coming out the same day. Yeah, you can spend the whole day in the cinema—what’s better than that?”

#cillian murphy #oppenheimer #gq magazine #men’s fashion #wga strike #sag strike

[hawkinslibrary]

“The AMPTP, through Carol Lombardini, reached out to the WGA today and requested a meeting this Friday to discuss negotiations,” the WGA negotiating committee said in a statement to members on Tuesday. “We’ll be back in communication with you sometime after the meeting with further information. As we’ve said before, be wary of rumors. Whenever there is important news to share, you will hear it directly from us.”

as of august 3rd, 2023:

the current wga strike began may 2nd, 2023. it's been going strong for 93 days now.

the 2007-2008 wga strike lasted from november 5th, 2007 to february 12, 2008. 99 days.

the longest wga strike was in 1988, from march 7th to august 8th. 154 days.

sag-aftra also began striking on july 14th, 2023. 20 days.

the longest sag-aftra strike was in 2000, from may 1st to october 30th. 182 days.

sag-aftra president fran drescher says the union is "financially prepared to remain on strike for the next six months."

#all of this to say #this could be going for a while still #i hope things are winding down #and that the wga and sag-aftra get everything they are fighting for #but. #the amptp and the studios are. greedy assholes #also if the numbers are off a little #i'm not a math and numbers girl idk #i'm bad with dates as is #blame google and timeanddate.com #sag strike #wga strike #anyway i wanted to post this before whatever happens tomorrow #and then i'm gonna be adding stuff to the queue again for monday #just letting the tag fill up a bit so there's lots to add

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

The Strike Is Over! SAG-AFTRA & Studios Reach Deal On New Three-Year Contract

Dominic Patten And Anthony D'Alessandro

November 8, 2023 4:39PM PST

After 118 days of the actors guild being out on strike, SAG-AFTRA and the studios have reached a tentative deal on a new contract that could see Hollywood up and running again within weeks.

The strike will be over as of 12:01 am PT November 9, we hear. Culminating a very dramatic day of studio earnings results and deadlines, the actors guild’s 17-member negotiating committee unanimously voted to recommend a tentative agreement to the SAG-AFTRA board.

Coming just less than a month after Writers Guild members overwhelmingly ratified their own agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, SAG-AFTRA’s deal is the culmination of the latest round of renewed negotiations that began October 24. Indicating the seriousness and stakes of the negotiations, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, Disney’s Bob Iger, NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley and Warner Bros Discovery’s David Zaslav frequently directly participated in the talks.

The tentative agreement follows the studios responding on November 3 to the guild’s last comprehensive counter with a self-described “historic” package. That was succeeded less than 24 hours later by an expanded group of studio leaders — including execs from Paramount, Amazon, Apple and more — joining the Gang of Four to brief SAG-AFTRA on the AMPTP’s new offer, which was said to include big gains in wages and bonuses as well as sweeping AI protections.

We didn’t just come toward you, we came all the way to you,” Sarandos told guild leaders Saturday before SAG-AFTRA brass began digging into the fine print. Further talks between the two sides began earlier this week as the guild poured over the studios’ latest set of proposals.

Now, if all goes as planned and the board signs off on the deal, eligible members of the 160,000-strong actors guild will vote soon to ratify the new agreement. Also, with SAG-AFTRA pulling the plug on the strike just after midnight and before the ratification vote is completed, people could be back to work soon and production restarted quickly.

Exposing many of the shifts and divisions in the industry over the past decade, today’s tentative agreement comes at the end of a long road filled with diversions and potholes.

Overall, the six months of Hollywood strikes is estimated to have cost the Southern California economy more than $6.5 billion and 45,000 entertainment industry jobs after production ground to a halt with the WGA hitting the picket lines in early May and SAG-AFTRA following in mid-July. On an individual level, the labor action garnered passionate unity among guild members. At the same time, a fact not lost on the studios and their strategy, many guild members have suffered crippling financial hardship, as have below-the-line workers, going months without work.

After calling the strike July 14, it took the guild and the studio CEOs’ Gang of Four around 80 days before their first official face-to-face talks at SAG-AFTRA headquarters on Wilshire Boulevard. For all the optimism and momentum coming out of the completed WGA deal, those new deliberations between SAG-AFTRA and the studios that began October 2 blew apart on October 11, with the AMPTP leaving negotiations early after the guild tabled an alternative to its contentious revenue-sharing proposal. A few hours later, expecting more scheduled talks the next day, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland received a call saying deliberations were “suspended.”

“Last night, they introduced a levy on subscribers on top of [other] areas,” Sarandos said the next day at an industry conference, calling the proposal a “bridge too far” and blaming the guild for the talks ending. Later, SAG-AFTRA accused the studios of “bully tactics” and using the “same failed strategy they tried to inflict on the WGA.”

On October 18, after Netflix stated in its Q3 earnings report that talks were “ongoing” and Sarandos said the guild “really broke our momentum” towards a deal, Crabtree-Ireland called BS. “The best way to reach a deal and end this strike is for him and the other CEOs to end their walkout from the bargaining table and resume negotiations,” the SAG-AFTRA national director and chief negotiator told Deadline. “We have been and remain ready to continue talks – every day.”

After an appreciated but DOA bid by George Clooney and other A-listers to intervene in getting talks restarted, it looked like the actors strike would pass the 100-day milestone with no end in sight. Then, on October 21 , after Drescher hit out at the “AMPTPs strategy of non-negotiation” and “a blatant propaganda attempt to discredit union leadership and divide our solidarity,” Bob Iger made a call to Crabtree-Ireland and asked to start a new round of talks.

At 3 p.m. PT on the strike’s 100th day, SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP put out a joint statement that they were heading back to the bargaining table on October 24 at the guild’s headquarters. That first day of negotiations between the parties was “not great,” according to a well-positioned source. As the studios put forth a new offer they hoped would end the stalemate over “success-based compensation,” the guild proved unmoved, but also open to further discussion.

Although the parties had agreed to meet on October 25, the guild asked that morning to take the day to go over the studios’ proposal of increased bonuses based on the success of streaming shows and movies and a further rise in minimum rates. “It’s a step in the right direction and the negotiating committee is taking the time to do a deep review,” a guild source told Deadline.

The two sides sat down again face-to-face around noon on October 26 with Crabtree-Ireland telling Deadline he was “cautiously optimistic” about deliberations with the studios. The guild slide across the table a self-described “comprehensive counter” that attempted to move the two sides closer together, sources said. As open letters from both supportive and impatient guild members flew around town, the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA’s negotiating committee were back in active talks on October 27. With both sides taking October 30 to be “working independently,” virtual deliberations bled into the weekend with the parties trying to bridge their differences.

On Halloween and in the early days of November, the parties met again. As the parties got “closer and closer,” as a guild source told Deadline, on issues, Crabtree-Ireland and Lombardini continued conferring directly, with breakout groups of lawyers and other specialists huddled in search of a deal – successfully we now know. Followed by two days of consultation by the guild, the November 3 delivery of the studios’ response to the guild’s latest counter and SAG-AFTRA’s November 6 counter response saw the two sides find an AI compromise and began moving things into what we now know was the final phase.

It took an unexpected strike by actors guild (who many studios execs thought were bluffing despite an overwhelming strike authorization mandate), a lot of moving pieces, guild solidarity, and some hard negotiating sessions to get there.

The actors union joined the WGA on the picket lines when it went on strike July 14, creating Hollywood’s first joint strike in more than 60 years. There were a lot of hot summer days when the labor battle remained at a stalemate.

But things shifted after Labor Day. The WGA reached a deal with the AMPTP on September 24 after five months on the picket lines and a final five intense days of deliberations that included the CEO Gang of Four for most of those last sessions. The WGA leadership approved the tentative agreement and ended the strike at 12:01 a.m. PT on September 27. WGA members ratified the deal by a wide margin October 9.

As exclusively reported by Deadline on September 26, the studios and SAG-AFTRA intended to ride the wave of the WGA deal to set meetings within a week or so on their own talks. However, as the goodwill of the WGA’s successful negotiations faded into bitter public call-outs from leaders on both sides, many feared, even with a new round of talks, the actors strike could last well into the holidays, ruining any chance at a partial broadcast networks season and hobbling the 2024 movie slate.

That catastrophe seems to have been averted now.