SAG-AFTRA and WGA Strikes: All the Major Dates to Know
etonline.comfirst time in 63 years that Hollywood's writers and actors have joined in a strike together. Though the specifics of each union's demands differ, both are in pursuit of broader protections for their members over contract minimums and the restriction of generative AI used for content creation.
This is the WGA’s first strike since 2008, when the union picketed for 14 weeks. SAG last struck against the studios for three months in 1980. (Their most recent strike, in 2000, was against commercial advertising interests.) The WGA, founded 1933, is comprised of two labor unions, WGA West and WGA East, which combined, represents over 11,000 members.SAG, founded in 1933, merged with AFTRA, founded 1937, in 2012.
The now-joint union represents about 160,000 members. Since Hollywood’s inception, writers and actors have struck against studios some 20 different times.
The WGA estimates that California loses $30 million a day while writers strike. One expert recently told the that L.A. could lose over $3 billion in total by the time writers return to work.
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