Comments on: SAG Pushes for Actors Strike

By: hania

hania — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 04:03:11 +0000

It is strange to do this during a sagging economy, one should think. However, during this financial crisis, the actors need money from the residuals. It’s really a Catch-22 – you strike,you lose revenue, you don’t strike, you continue to lose revenue.
Unions are there to protect workers against unfairness in the workplace. Without them, we are back to the days of the Industrial Revolution. What really needs to take place is a total restructuring of the system into a Fair Play System. However, that may be unrealistic, given that greed seems to be such an ingrained characteristic of the human psyche. Until man learns to curb his greed, to temper his ego (which means “I am” in Greek), and play fairly, the only solution is a union to protect rights. While it is not the best of systems, it is the only one that provides a united voice for those being taken advantage of by corporate Fat Cats.
Do not be surprised if this does not snowball – UAW, AFL-CIO affiliates may all show solidarity. Be prepared to home school and grow your own food if that should occur. I am not kidding.

By: Rodney

Rodney — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:26:44 +0000

@Me, if you noticed, I mentioned something to that effect in the post.

Just sayin.

By: Me

Me — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 06:41:53 +0000

I feel only slightly cocky for calling this event before the writer’s strike ended. Union contracts were ending and it was only a matter of time the fallout from that strike would repeat itself.

Rodney, may I point out that about .5% of actors make 98% of the money all actors make, so while “the overpaid actors”, as you say, are lumped into the union as well, please don’t ignore the the small 99.5% group that AREN’T overpaid – and that’s a massive understatement.

By: Orren Jensen

Orren Jensen — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:53:52 +0000

I kind of saw this coming when the WGA strike ended…paraphrased news quotes and rumors…” Could there be more strikes in Hollywood? the SAG contract will be up in late fall early winter and the DGA’s will be up next year, late summer.” I hope it doesn’t happen because half of movie making is actor based. Yet I agree on the fact they get payed way to much but you can’t make a movie with actors. I also agree that they couldn’t afford another strike with the already down word spiral of our economy.

By: Evan Rousso

Evan Rousso — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 18:56:17 +0000

Maybe I am being a little naive here, but why not call the bluff and start using non-union casts and crews and make movies with them. Just make one or two movies using exclusively non-unions workers just to show them that there are millions of people out there that can act or hold a camera.

By: TigerClaw

TigerClaw — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 18:16:54 +0000

It is a bad time for them to go on strike considering how bad the economy is this year.