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By Le Figaro with AFP

Posted 2 hours ago, Updated 2 hours ago

The union is calling for better pay, job protection and a framework for the use of artificial intelligence. MIKE SEGAR / REUTERS

Actors and screenwriters gathered under the windows of Amazon and HBO on Tuesday. Since May, they have paralyzed the sector to demand better working conditions and measures to deal with AI.

Hundreds of professionals from the American film and television industry demonstrated in New York on Tuesday, in union unity at the foot of the giants Amazon and HBO, to demand better working conditions and job security, in the face of the threat of artificial intelligence. This demonstration – there are almost every day in Manhattan – was exceptional because organized for the “national union solidarity dayat the call of all the professional organizations of the small and big screen. A double strike movement has paralyzed Hollywood since May for screenwriters joined in July by actresses and actors.

«As you can see, it’s massive! The movement has only grown (…) with a union solidarity, determination and unity that has never been seen“said Ezra Knight, president of the New York branch of the powerful union of actors and actresses SAG-AFTRA. The demonstration was animated by slogans, banners and horns of support from motorists. “I’m scared, but I feel good here. We are fighting for something, there is something reassuring about being part of a large group and feeling that we are all in the same boat“said Laura Houha, a 34-year-old actress from the same union.

Read alsoFestivals without stars, releases postponed… Hollywood paralyzed by the strike

crippled hollywood

The two strikes in Hollywood – the likes of which have not been seen since 1960 – halted all American film and television production except for reality TV and games. The ceremony of Emmy Awards, the “Oscars” of televisionhas been postponed from September 18 to January 15, 2024. SAG-AFTRA, which represents 160,000 actors, stuntmen, dancers and other TV and film professionals, prohibits all its members from filming, but also from promoting their productions, in person or on social media.

The union is calling for better pay, job protection and a framework for the use of artificial intelligence, a “menaceaccording to Ezra Knight. And the dialogue between the WGA screenwriters union and the bosses of studios and streaming platforms – like Prime, HBO, Amazon and Warner Bros. Discovery – was virtually non-existent. However, a glimmer of hope has emerged in recent days, since unions have sat down with the AMPTP, the producers’ organization, including Disney and Netflix.

And “good sign» pour Ezra Knight. La manifestation d’«today shows that the social movement has always been active in America, but remains threatened by the quest for profit by capitalists and corporations. But (…) we are here, the fight continues“, assured the trade unionist.

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2023-08-23 10:16:33
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