[ID: SAG-AFTRA picket sign with the logo of a person with a raised fist and the text, “SAG-AFTRA ON STRIKE!” The picture was taken near the Sony building and “Sony Pictures” and “Sony Music Publishing” can be seen on a sign to the right. end ID]
On November 8, SAG-AFTRA reached a tentative deal with the AMPTP to end the strike. What can we as fans & audiences do to continue supporting the unions?
DONATE TO STRIKE FUNDS!
The devastating effects of both strikes on every entertainment worker AND those not in entertainment, but affected by the work stoppages, are going to continue to be felt for months, even years, down the line. PLEASE don’t let up your financial support just because the strikes are over! Please keep boosting posts about how to support the unions! Tip: schedule the posts for a week or a month down the line so they keep circulating.
WGA and SAG-AFTRA have won, but you know who still needs a deal? The Animation Guild will have negotiations next year. IATSE, aka International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which represents technicians and craftspeople, is going to enter into negotiations next year. Teamsters (unionized drivers, including the ones essential to Hollywood sets!) are going into negotiations next year. It is essential that we show up for other unions like we showed up for WGA/SAG-AFTRA. And if you haven’t yet… have YOU considered joining a union?
CORRECT MISINFORMATION AND BIASED NARRATIVES!
Lots of people—both in the immediate future and a few years down the line—are going to think they’ve drawn correct conclusions from the strike that are absolutely false. False ideas like WGA/SAG-AFTRA were the ones that dragged out the strikes, that it was unnecessary to put such a strain on the economy, and so on.
Prove them wrong—and cite your sources! WGA/SAG-AFTRA’s Twitter updates and websitearticles updated during the strikes are a good resource, as are eyewitness accounts from those of us who were active participants in fandoms supporting the unions. Don’t let the narrative get turned around. Unions are essential, strikes work, and it was the solidarity between varied workers and their audiences that forced the AMPTP back to the table.
