Kerry Washington and Martin Sheen, a pair of fictional former politicos, turned into a rousing campaign rally Tuesday with speeches celebrating unity across the industry and with labor at large.
B次元官网网址淲e are here because we know that unions matter,B次元官网网址� said Washington, who played a political fixer on ABCB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淪candal.B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淣ot only do we have solidarity within our union, we have solidarity between our unions, because we are workers.B次元官网网址�
The rally outside Disney Studios in Burbank, California, coming more than a month into a strike by Hollywood actors and more than , was meant to highlight their alliance with the industryB次元官网网址檚 other guilds and the nationB次元官网网址檚 other unions, including the Teamsters and the AFL-CIO.
B次元官网网址淭he audacity of these studios to say they canB次元官网网址檛 afford to pay their workers after they make billions in profits is utterly ridiculous,B次元官网网址� Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Yvonne Wheeler told the crowd. She added a dig at DisneyB次元官网网址檚 CEO, who has become a target of strikers. B次元官网网址淏ut despite their money, they canB次元官网网址檛 buy this kind of solidarity. Tell Bob Iger that.B次元官网网址�
Sheen, who played the president for seven seasons on B次元官网网址淭he West Wing,B次元官网网址� was joined by most of the showB次元官网网址檚 main cast members on the stage as he emphasized that the toll being taken as the strikes stretch out.
B次元官网网址淐learly this union has found something worth fighting for, and it is very costly,B次元官网网址� Sheen said. B次元官网网址淚f this were not so we would be left to question its value.B次元官网网址�
Washington also sought to highlight that high-profile guild members like her were once actors who struggled to find work and make a living, as the vast majority of members still are. She ran through the issues at the heart of both strikes, including compensation and studios and streaming services using artificial intelligence in place of actors and writers.
B次元官网网址淲e deserve to be able to be paid a fair wage. We deserve to have access to healthcare. We deserve to be free from machines pretending to be us,B次元官网网址� Washington said. B次元官网网址淭he dream of being working artist, the dream of making a living doing what we want to do, should not be impossible.B次元官网网址�
The alliance of studios, streaming services and production companies that are the opposition in the strikes says it offered fair contracts to both unions before talks broke off that included unprecedented updates in pay and protections against AI.
Talks have restarted between the studios and writers, who went on strike May 2, though progress has been slow. There have been no negotiations with actors since they went on strike July 14.
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