1It’s starting to get petty in the fight between the major film studios as the WGA and SAG members strike for a better work environment.
Actors, writers, and other major Hollywood celebrities have spent weeks picketing in major film cities like Los Angeles and New York, with many showing their support for the writers’ strike well before the actors announced their own. Now, as the Teamsters start negotiations on their contracts, many have expressed their support of the WGA and SAG, fighting alongside them. This support has led to the creation of picket lines, with studio trucks unable to cross them to deliver props and people to set. Essentially, Hollywood has created a major team of people fighting for better conditions.
The guilds have had two very different responses in regard to their strike, with SAG causing Disney, Warner Bros., and Netflix to team up in an effort to resolve negotiations, and the WGA being left homeless in the dust as the AMPTP tries to starve them out of their homes and into a resigned deal. Even influencers have started to speak out against the studios as SAG strike rules indicate that any promotion of an upcoming movie is prohibited, including influencers promoting movies and studios on their social media channels.
As the studios quickly lose support and start to run out of options for strong-arming picketers into a deal, Universal decided to get petty, instead. In a post shared to Twitter earlier this week, @ChrisStephensMD posted a photo of a row of trees that have been severely trimmed down with the caption, “Quick shoutout to the good people at @UniversalPics for trimming the trees that gave our picket line shade right before a 90+ degree week.”
Quick shoutout to the good people at @UniversalPics for trimming the trees that gave our picket line shade right before a 90+ degree week. pic.twitter.com/aZvvPYQ23i
— Chris Stephens (@ChrisStephensMD) July 17, 2023
Hollywood, along with much of the west coast, has been under a severe heat advisory for the last few weeks, making the move especially sinister. Several comments under the post mention Tree Law, implying that the studio may not have been legally allowed to cut down the trees. A Los Angeles City Controller responded to the situation, saying that, “Our Office is investigating the tree trimming that occurred outside Universal Studios where workers, writers, and actors are exercising their right to picket. The trimmed trees are LA City managed street trees.”
While petty, it just shows that the studios are running out of options to counter the strike and have decided to go for the low blows. Considering it’s been just a week since SAG joined the WGA strike full force, it could mean that this could get much worse before it gets any better.
What do you think about the move by Universal Pictures? Share your thoughts in the comments below.