Posted in: Movies, streaming, TV | Tagged: amptp, SAG-AFTRA, wga, writers' strike

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher, WGA Share Labor Day Messages

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher & WGA Negotiating Committee co-chair Chris Keyser posted Labor Day messages for their union members.

With Labor Day Weekend seen as the unofficial end of the summer season (at least across the pop culture universe) and thoughts turning to the Halloween season and beyond, the television & film industry is still in serious shutdown mode as the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes roll on. And when will that end? When the AMPTP gets its act together and negotiates a respectful deal with the unions – or studios start breaking off to strike their own deals.

Now, we have a look at what SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher has to share with her membership via a heartfelt, apologetic post where Drescher opens up about how the strike sometimes takes a personal toll when it comes to approaching day-to-day grievance. Following that, WGA Negotiating Committee co-chair Chris Keyser posted a video to the union members, updating them on where things stand and rallying the troops by reminding them of what's at stake while respecting how tough the strike's been on so many so far. First up, here's a look at what Drescher had to share (followed by the actual text from the post):

Its labor day weekend and I find myself in the volunteer position of leading a major labor battle as we at Sag-Aftra meet this historic moment head on. It is said in buddhist wisdom that to lead, one must follow. In order to do that I must pay close attention to everyone's grievances that come at me from all sides. But last week was a convergence of family aggravation, personal heath issues, board member abuse, staff bureaucracy and a release of tears to Duncan from feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders. This all writes a recipe for disaster and that cake got baked when I yelled at an unsuspecting member simply sharing her grievances. I had a meltdown and a complete and offensive, over reaction.

I, of course apologized but continue to beat myself up over it. Why is it so difficult to let it go and move on when we mess up? And I realized that whether leading a labor movement or being caregiver to a sick and dependent loved one, you are human and you will falter. Do not demand perfection from yourself because you are setting yourself up for failure if you do. You may lose it (like I did)and you may offend those undeserving of your wrath when you've reached the end of your rope. But first, always own your bads and next try to cut yourself slack. Be understanding of your situation even when others may not be. A Shaman once said to me, "each time you find yourself ruminating over why you said this or why you did that, try repeating these words to yourself as often as necessary to take the curse off your self loathing: I love you Fran. I know how good you are. It's Fran & Fran 'til the end of time. "

To err is human…

And here's a look at Keyser's message to the WGA membership from earlier today – followed by the released transcript of what the WGA Negotiating Committee co-chair had to share:

Fellow members of the WGA, East, and West – I wanted to take a few minutes on Labor Day, 2023, to acknowledge the meaning of this moment.

This is not, strictly speaking, an update on negotiations. I'm recording this message a few days before the holiday.

Let me start by thanking the Guild staff – everyone who works at the Guild. They are labor, too. And they have dedicated their working lives to the cause of writers and writing. Over the course of this year, they have given everything they have for us. And everything we will one day gain, we owe, in large part, to them.

We need to acknowledge the members of SAG-AFTRA, who march on picket lines alongside us every day. Labor's strength comes from numbers. And 171,000 irreplaceable workers is a pretty damn good number. We have each other's backs, SAG-AFTRA and the WGA. We say that out loud – on this Labor Day — we are all in this together. Together there is no way around us. And the only way through is to treat us fairly.

Still, we've seen in this strike that the system is inherently cruel. It requires not only that we bleed in order to succeed, but that others do too. If writers could have avoided that, and still demanded and won what we need to survive, we would have done it.

So, to those members of other unions, crews and drivers, everyone who makes a living in and around this business, who is not on strike, but for whom the strike is causing real pain, we owe you a great debt. We will not forget what you have done for us: the Teamsters and IATSE, Laborers and Electrical Workers, Musicians and other craft workers – and everyone else.

What we promise you is this – as you have stood with us, we will stand with you one day, when it is your turn. That is how labor gets its due. For all its costs, it is the only way.

In the meantime, the guilds, and unions of this industry – and its individual members – have set aside or raised more money – tens of millions of dollars – in four months – to protect and support each other – than we are asking many of these companies to pay us for an entire year.

This strike has brought out so much goodness in people – so much bravery and resilience, selflessness, and generosity.

And nowhere is that more apparent than in the membership of the WGA itself. On behalf of the Negotiating Committee, Board and Council – it is our greatest honor to lead you through this struggle.

To the lot coordinators and the incredible corps of strike captains – and to every individual member of this Guild – you are marvels. You are models of what dignity means. Everything that has made you writers: your sense of humor, your sense of responsibility to the world, your sensitivity to the plight of others, your conscience, your courage, your ability to persevere through obstacle after obstacle – all these things, you bring to this fight. And they have served you well.

We do not write because it's easy. We write because we have no other choice. The same with the fight to save writing itself. It's not easy, but we have no other choice.

On Labor Day, it's worth remembering that.

We are not on strike out of greed. Nor do we begrudge the companies their success or deny their struggles. We all must succeed together. But the changes the companies have orchestrated in the business have made the profession of writing untenable for us and for everyone who comes after us.

That fact hasn't changed because they waited 102 days to talk to us – and taken their time since then. Our feet and backs may ache, but our cause is the same. Our case is the same.

We all know the list by heart by now: The erosion of pay. The abuse of screenwriters. The failure to protect Appendix A writers in the move to streaming. The dismantling of the writing process in episodic television. The threat of AI. The refusal to provide streaming residuals that grow with viewership.

Each of these things is an existential issue for some or all of us.

Which is why we have said to the companies: writers have and will negotiate the solutions to these problems, but we're not going to pick and choose amongst them. We're not going to leave any sector of the Guild behind.

These things must be resolved. And not with contract language that has a one-to-one ratio of promises to loopholes. Truly resolved.

Of course, that's not the AMPTP way. And it's a hard thing to give up on something that has served them so well for 40 years. They are in the process of wrestling amongst themselves, ramping up their public relations, and coming to terms with the fact that – with writers on strike – and actors on strike behind them – this negotiation is different. And they are going to have to do more – offer more – than they usually do. Much of our frustration with how long this is taking stems from that – from their internal bargaining. But they will get there.

None of which protects us from being scared sometimes and tired all the time. It doesn't mean we don't wish for this to be over. There's not one of us who wants to be on strike one day longer than is necessary.

But, in fact, they have made us stronger than we ever imagined we could be. Because there is no point in going back to jobs that may not be there in a year or two. No point in going back to jobs that don't sustain a career. No point in us permitting the AMPTP to enforce a system that bankrupts our health and pension plan to the devastation of every writer, regardless of their position in the industry.

They have given us the awful gift of endurance.

As for the companies, they are increasingly alone. Voices on Wall Street that were skeptical of their strategy are growing louder and more persistent. The Trades that used to take their sides are calling them out. The states of California and New York, whose welfare they have brushed aside, have raised the alarm. So have public pension plans. Their platforms are running low on fresh product — and soon they will be asking their customers to subsidize their intransigence. All of which is not a path forward.

One more thing I want to say: This strike will end. And we will go back to work. And it will be better when it's over. But we will also remember it for what it was. In a world where we're mostly asked to take care of ourselves, and maybe a small group of people around us, this is something else – something pretty rare. I feel it every time I turn a corner and see five hundred people on a picket line – or see a lone neutral gate observer, patiently doing their job – or watch a captain keeping people safe when a light changes. I feel an overwhelming sense of love. And connection. To people most of whom I've never met and may never meet again. We're each here for ourselves, of course. But mostly we're here for everyone else. I'm doing this for you – you're doing this for me. That's the only way it makes sense. And that is ours to keep, even when this is over, and we go back to our own, individual lives. This fight we fought together.

That is where things stand on Labor Day, 2023.

Which is a celebration of the dignity and value of those who work. An acknowledgement that this country was built by the people who take home a paycheck.

For us, though, it is not a celebration. Not yet. For us, it's just a day off. A time to rest. Rest up to finish the job.

We have no choice. We are either proof or disproof of the proposition for which we stand, which is that there are limits to how workers can be treated — that management, by siege and by silence, cannot just wait us out – and that labor, when it bands together in opposition, can have its day.

For labor across the country, this is the message. We – and everyone who strikes with us — are the beacon of hope. We carry the flag. On this Labor Day, the eyes of labor are on us.

So, tomorrow, we will pick up where we left off. With a message of determination and resilience, but also of openness. We have never been the companies' enemies. We are not their enemies now. We are their creative partners, first and foremost. That is our goal. To win a fair deal and to be that again. We'll get there.

In the meantime, get some rest. We still have some work to do.

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