PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Actors and screenwriters across America are on strike, and in Philadelphia, union members came together in a rally of solidarity to call for better pay, sustainable pensions and health care plans, and greater protection from exploitative AI technologies in a new contract with movie studios.
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“Enough is enough, and we demand more!” shouted Emmy- and SAG Award-winning actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, who plays Philadelphia kindergarten teacher Barbara Howard on ABC TV’s “Abbott Elementary.”
Ralph joined dozens of Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) members and supporters Thursday at LOVE Park in their fight for a new contract for actors.
“Our union — 80% of them don’t earn the $26,740.00 needed to qualify for health insurance,” Ralph shouted.
Sheryl Lee Ralph of 'Abbott Elementary'
Her “Abbott” costar, SAG Award-winning actress Lisa Ann Walter, who plays Philadelphia second-grade teacher Melissa Schemmenti, was also at the rally.
“The business has paid those of us — who are not the $20 million actors — less and less and less until it is about basic wage,” Walter said.
Nicole Izanec, president of the Philadelphia SAG-AFTRA local, says they are fighting against contract inequality and trying to improve working conditions.
The SAG-AFTRA strike started last week, when the union’s 65,000 actors and other media personalities joined the 11,000 members of the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) who have been on strike since May 2.
Lisa Ann Walter of 'Abbott Elementary'
One key issue for both unions is residual payments, which have been nearly wiped out by the switch to the streaming system.
“These guys here fight every day for a job, to keep them going, to make a living,” said Michele Dooley, SAG-AFTRA Philadelphia’s senior program manager of broadcast, but the studios — “they don’t want to do any of the increases.”
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Another point of contention is the use of artificial intelligence to replace actors with a digital likeness used over and over, without informed consent or compensation.
“It takes jobs away from our members,” Dooley said.
“We’re the voices of multitrillion-dollar TV theatrical streaming industry,” said Izanec. "And we all have a common goal, and that’s to make living wages in an industry that takes advantage of us."
Izanec says a lot of people think of actors as being wealthy and carefree, but that’s just not the case — and it’s something they want others to know as they push for a new contract.
“We’re not fighting for yachts,” Izanec said. “We’re just fighting for the gas money for the Ford Focus to drive to the pier to look at the boats.”
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Greater than New York and Hollywood
While Los Angeles and New York are the epicenters of strike actions, the labor dispute is reaching dozens of mid-sized and small locals representing performers and writers across the country, including Philadelphia. A rally was also held Thursday in Chicago.
“We have the same issues,” said Izanec, president of , on her way to Thursday's rally. “Lots of people pay attention to L.A. and New York, but our issues are the same as theirs.”
The unions and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers — which represents studios, streamers and production companies — seem far apart, with no negotiations happening or planned.
Film and TV sets dot America. Cities like Chicago with shows like “Chicago Med,” “Chicago PD,” and “The Chi” have stopped filming until the strike is resolved. There were more than 30 major productions in Massachusetts last year. Strikers took to the street in Boston on Wednesday.
Jane Fonda calls for pay cap for studio execs
Disney CEO Bob Iger warned last week that it was not a good time for a strike, arguing that the entertainment industry's recovery from the pandemic is not complete.
Izanec replied that she resents the fact that the average WGA member makes $69,000 a year and Iger makes $74,000 a day. “Most of us know that we’re performers and we’re middle class people. We’re trying to be middle class workers,” she said.
The AMPTP said it has offered fair terms on those and other issues.
In Los Angeles, strikers outside Netflix studios included Sarah Silverman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Witaske and Kendrick Sampson. Kristen Schaal was seen on a picket line outside Disney studios.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Some KYW Newsradio staff are members of SAG-AFTRA but are not a part of the unit that is on strike.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.