what to know
The session was attended by leaders and representatives of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) and the Screenwriters Guild (WGA) of the USA, who have been leading a historic joint strike for weeks after neither managed to renew their collective agreements with Alianza de Productores de Film and Television (AMPTP). New York, one of the world capitals of film and television, is suffering due to this work stoppage, since the sector generates some 81,000 million dollars, according to a 2021 Mayoral study cited in the event. However, most of the 185,000 jobs it supports are very low-income. Just on Tuesday, New York State Auditor Thomas DiNapoli sent letters to Hollywood producers – including Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Warner Bros. encouraging them to reach an agreement with the unions for the risks for the accounts of these companies and, therefore, for the local economy, according to local media.
NEW YORK — American actors and screenwriters on strike to force an improvement in their working conditions railed against the “corporate greed” of Hollywood producers at a New York City legislative session Tuesday, where token support for their unions.
The session was attended by leaders and representatives of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) and the Screenwriters Guild (WGA) of the USA, who have been leading a historic joint strike for weeks after neither managed to renew their collective agreements with Alianza de Productores de Cinema and Television (AMPTP).
New York, one of the world capitals of film and television, is suffering due to that work stoppage, since the sector generates some 81,000 million dollars, according to a 2021 mayoral study cited in the event. However, most of the 185,000 jobs it provides are very low-income.
Nearly a dozen workers from both groups offered testimonies about the precariousness they face in a multimillion-dollar profit sector revolutionized in the last decade by streaming content and generative artificial intelligence, changes they consider threats.
They were led by the actress Fran Drescher, national president of SAG-AFTRA, who led a demonstration and in the room lamented that show business, so “idealized” in the history of cinema, has become a “soulless business, of greed and lack of respect for the artist”, for which he blamed the AMPTP.
“The AMPTP has changed the business model so radically that we demand a new contract structure: we cannot survive with the old residual model,” he said, referring to the compensation artists receive every time a streaming service sells the rights. from a production to a new market.
The example of that problem was given by two actresses: one was featured in projects for HBO and Netflix and said that in a film seen by 2.2 million people her residual income was $200, and another was featured as a child in an old Disney movie and He assured that no one in the children’s cast ever charged for that concept.
“AMPTP’s maniacal corporate culture of greed must stop. Industry benefits and doing right by workers do not have to be mutually exclusive, but can go hand in hand as we define the new meaning of success” , sentenced Drescher, who called the strike 18 days ago.
Regarding the scriptwriters, Erica Sala, a television scriptwriter, told with a tired face and dark circles under her eyes after 91 days on strike how the changes in the sector make it increasingly difficult “to lead a middle class life”, especially when the studios They “find ways to pay less” and downsize.
“We are fighting for better wages, but also for the very survival of our industry,” said the young woman, who lashed out at Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav and other big producers who don’t take their demands “seriously,” and once asked them to return to the negotiating table.
The legislators who chaired the session of the Civil Service and Employment Committee, Carmen de la Rosa and Amanda Farias, successfully voted on two resolutions that mainly expressed support for the actors and scriptwriters in their negotiations with the AMPTP for fair agreements.
Just Tuesday, New York State Auditor Thomas DiNapoli sent letters to Hollywood producers — including Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Warner Bros. — encouraging them to settle with the unions over the risks to company accounts. these companies and, therefore, for the local economy, according to local media.
2023-08-02 02:04:09
#Actors #screenwriters #NYC #protest #corporate #greed #strike
