CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- As a strike continues, writers and actors were joined by other local unions for a rally at Daley Plaza Friday morning.
The Chicago Federation of Labor represents 300 unions whose memberships total more than half a million and they told WBBM that they’ve got the actors' and writers' backs.
Peter, with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees said that he’s a mid-level camera technician for movies and tv and sees the importance of standing in solidarity with WGA and SAG-AFTRA during their strike.
"Number one-if they don't go back to work, I don't go back to work, so it's very important just on that financial level," he explained. "They're also fighting for the same things that we'll be fighting for when our contract comes up in a year."
Courtney Rioux, a SAG-AFTRA strike captain said that movie and television producers have now said they will come back to the table with the Writers Guild of America first.
"I think it's a beautiful thing for all the unions to come together," she said.
WGA went on strike May 2- more than two months before SAG-AFTRA members, but many of the contract terms sought by the two unions nearly mirror each other including fair wages, revenue sharing, and protection against replacement by artificial intelligence technology.
"This is not just an actor writer problem," Rioux said referring to AI technology. "It's national. It's global. It's not just about us and workers are fed up and we just want to be treated fairly no matter what type of work we are in."
(Editor's note: Many employees of WBBM Newsradio, including anchors and reporters, are members of SAG-AFTRA; they work under a different contract from the entertainment industry professionals.)
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