Credit: DisneyAnti-union activists protest the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes with a rallying cry of “Just say no.” For every picketer, a worker struggles to make ends meet and fights to access employment due to a strike that affects them, yet they cannot control. This time, collateral damage amounts to over 1.8 million people.
Unions Winning The Battle: What About the War?
Many espouse “Just say no!” values towards the unions. Nonetheless, they’ve seen some big wins recently. The most significant update is the unions’ legal success against a law change that enabled companies to use agency staff to fill in for strikers. It shows that the union’s demands hold merit, yet the progress still doesn’t help the whole entertainment industry.
There are 160,000 members of SAG-AFTRA, and the strikes have a massive impact. According to the job outlook for actors, demand is expected to increase by 8% by 2031. The “just say no” concept has roots in those on the fringes of the acting community, those who aren’t necessarily members of the SAG union.
“Just Say No” to Union Strikes, Protect the Majority
The idea of union organizations is to back the under-represented many and ensure the few don’t take advantage. Collective bargaining is a touchstone of a modern economy and just labor. But it’s not always a success.
Unions Versus the Free Market
Many say that unions remove choice. They force actors to walk out of premieres, cost regular dues, and control the action of participants. But in theory, they also offer brute force through numbers. When a union is big enough, the voice becomes loud enough to match the power of production companies.
A free market allows those who “just say no” to a union concept to work without reprisal. The idea has ideological roots in meritocracy, work ethic, and capitalistic structure. It cites the negative impact that union actions can have on those not directly party to any type of collective agreement. Estimates indicate roughly 2.1 million individuals working in film production, numbers you can see here.
Math to Back the “Just Say No” to Unions Idea
Removing the 160,000 members of the SAG-AFTRA and the 10,559 in the WGA (even assuming there’s no overlap, which is generous), you get over 1.8 million people. Significant barriers exist to SAG-AFTRA and WGA membership, meaning many of these 1.8 million people may want the union support but cannot access it.
That’s almost double the count of workers on strike. 1.8 million people are struggling with production shutting down. They don’t have the same voice because they are on the union’s periphery.
These people represent the tech teams back to the AI Disney is happy to use, along with all those other supporting positions that make the magic happen. Examples range from technicians to engineers to cooks.
Remembering the Forgotten: What Unions Forget
They are the professionals who work tirelessly to do the parts of production that get listed somewhere at the bottom of the credits (if they’re lucky). It might sound extreme to “just say no” to the union strike. But it’s not about those striking.
The idea is to shine a light on all those whose careers fell by the wayside with union action. Unions are meant to help the voiceless. The entertainment economy impacts many more households than the strike of around 170,000 individuals.
What do you think about the people working in entertainment? Share your take in the comments below.