The Expendables

I’m not movie star famous but have worked

steadily at the job I love, playing a lovable

accountant, a blind CIA officer, a video game mogul 

who got what he deserved, and many more across 

television and film. I’ve been able to raise a family in 

Los Angeles on one income and in my line of work,

well, in any line of work these days, that is

something to be celebrated. Something to be

defended.

Like many of my colleagues, famous and not, I

belong to a union. I’ve been a member of the

Screen Actors Guild (now SAG/AFTRA) for 27

years. Since July 13, our union has been on

strike. I’ve been on the picket lines, here in Los

Angeles, not only in support of SAG/AFTRA but

also the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which

went on strike May 2. Nearly 98 percent of

actors and writers voted to strike.

We truly felt we had no choice. We’re not

simply striking for better pay although, given the

inflation all Americans have experienced the

past few years, better pay is a noble enough

goal - we’re striking because accepting the

terms industry executives are offering would

turn our union jobs into gig work.

“Get a real job.” You might be thinking. I’ve

heard that before. If that is where you stand I

would ask you to point me to what a “real” job

is. Teaching? I love teachers. The teachers

here in LA also had to strike this year because

they too could no longer support a family with

their paychecks. Manufacturing, perhaps.

Real blue-collar work. The United Auto Workers

just overwhelmingly approved a strike

authorization with 97% support because they

too fear they will no longer be able to raise their

families under the terms of employment toward

which their industry is marching. From Starbucks

and Amazon to the airline industry, Americans

are standing together and demanding a fair 

share of the record profits our labor, talent and 

sweat help create.

Carving out a career as

an actor has never been easy but, until

recently, it has always been possible. While the

era of streaming has increased the number of

jobs available, those streaming shows only

make 6-10 episodes per season when network

and cable shows used to make 16-24. So, even

if you’re lucky enough to work as a series

regular on a tv show (like I have many times)

you’ve seen your earnings drop significantly,

because we’re paid per episode, not per

season.

The writers and actors unions are also striking

because the streaming industry has decimated

a type of pay called residuals - a fee studios

pay an actor or writer every time their show

appears for reruns or re-airings after its initial

release. Residuals are how we, the

creators of the films and television shows,

share in the profits of their continued

exploitation. When a movie makes money,

the creatives involved get a small piece of that.

When a hit tv show airs a rerun, the creatives

get a small piece. Residuals help

actors and writers make ends meet.

When streaming technology was new, and

unproven, companies like Netflix asked for, and

received, generous discounts on residual rates

in good faith to help grow that new and

emerging market. Now, as reported by NPR,

Netflix’s revenue is $8.2 billion. Discounts are

no longer necessary, nor appropriate, and the actors 

and writers who’ve helped make them so successful 

can’t pay their rent with the contract as is. What that 

means is that talented people will be forced to leave the

entertainment business, and the next

generation of talent will go do something else.

We’re not just fighting for our survival, we’re

fighting for the survival of this industry.

Then there’s the business of artificial

intelligence. Industry executives would like to

have software write scripts for them, or at least

the first drafts. They would like to own the

images of an actor, allowing them to

pay the actor once, then use artificial

intelligence to plug their likeness into any

project they wish for in perpetuity. This

would, naturally, eliminate the need for new

actors. Without new actors and writers, our

unions would slowly fade away along with our

pensions and healthcare.

In July, Carol Lombardini, the lead negotiator

for the industry executives, was quoted saying,

“Writers are lucky to have term employment.”

Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney, said on CNBC,

“There’s a level of expectation that they have,

that is just not realistic.” An unnamed studio

executive told Deadline, “The endgame is to

allow things to drag on until union members

start losing their apartments and losing their

houses.”

We are lucky, in a way, to have found success

in a competitive business but it isn’t blind luck.

Writers and actors train for years to hone their

craft just like teachers, and carpenters, and

lawyers, and healthcare providers. As far as expectations go, 

is it unrealistic to expect to be able to raise a family? 

At the end of the day, that’s all we’re asking for. 

In return, our employers offer eviction, though they 

could hand the writers and actors everything we’ve 

proposed and it would only cost them around 2%

of their annual revenue, on average. 

Currently, independent production companies

like A24 are filming under SAG/AFTRA’s latest

contract proposal using the union’s Interim

Agreement program. None of those small

companies are going broke and they’ve agreed

to every single deal point without exception. But

largely, Hollywood executives are treating

actors and writers like too many industry titans

are treating American workers: expendably.