the writers guild of america voted for strike authorization on may 2nd. the screen actors guild – american federation of television & radio artists voted for strike authorization on July 12th. i lost everything on July 12th, not only with the strike, but i was involved in a tragic fire that wiped out my home as well as 21 other peoples’ homes in Hollywood, including 5 other sag-aftra members. you can read more about my experience here.
so why do i support the strike happening now? well, although i am directly impacted by a nightmare situation, with 5 other sag-aftra union members; we represent over 160,000+ union members who are also displaced with no security for the future. although me and the other sag-aftra members lost not only our job security but we also lost everything we cherished & loved from our homes & our actual homes itself. the reason why the WGA & SAG-AFTRA need to strike now is because this is an ongoing issue that has been escalating over the past few years with streaming services on the rise. streaming services have completely taken over the broadcasting industry very quickly. it happened so fast that my union & the writers guild of america, didn’t have a chance to adapt to new contracts and union rules for performers, writers & artists in cinema & television. there was a quick imbalance of labor, contracts & payment that needs to be fixed immediately.
the streaming bubble was moving at such a fast rate that no one expected it to completely take over broadcasting in its “standard” form of cinema and television. my union, sag-aftra & the wga have been following the same contract rules without a chance to catch up with the streaming services shift. since the streaming services have been following “new media” contract union rules, they have been able to underpay & skate around paying writers & performers what they actually deserve. the strike needs to happen now so artists in sag-aftra & wga & beyond can catch up and not follow the outdated “new media” contract rules that have been limiting and impacting working conditions, wages & quality of life for artists that have dedicated their wholes lives to their craft.
sag-aftra & wga going on strike is impacting more people that anyone can imagine. without writers & performers there is no need to hire crews (iatse, the teamsters, local businesses like catering companies & so many other people working behind the scenes to create your favorite movies & tv shows). this is a drastic harsh change that needs to happen now so that artists can be paid fairly, have a meaningful quality of life to be able to exist & survive.
we need to stand tall & strong as union members to move the industry forward so that we can eat and so that everyone that relies on us, like the iatse, the teamsters, local businesses, can eat too. this is a pivotal point in broadcasting history that will affect the course of future artists for years to come. we need to stand together & take care of each other now more than ever. enough is enough, the time is now.
something i’ve learned through the fire on July 12th, is that my union members will have my back and support me when the people i counted on the most, disregarded all 22 of us and threw us away like disposable trash.
i am proud of myself and the other union members that are displaced because we are standing strong & taking care of each other when the people we thought would take care of us, aren’t. we represent thousands of union members, and i personally wish to lead by example, despite extreme circumstances, that during times of crisis, we need to be there for each other & take care of each other until the right changes are implemented. you can read more about how to support union members pushing the industry forward here. if you would like to help union members that need emergency assistance please consider donating to the sag-aftra foundation who is pivotal in helping affected union members right now in this harsh period of life.
thanks again for your support & kind words,
Nikki
coolchxck 