New York City Council Votes on Resolution in Support of WGA and SAG-AFTRA

August 1, 2023 (New York, NY) – Council Members Carmen De La Rosa and Amanda Farias sponsored resolutions in support of fair contract negotiations for both the Writers Guild of America  (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). Today, the Committee on Civil Service and Labor at the New York City Council called a hearing to better understand the concerns of the two entertainment unions and vote to move the bills forward. By Thursday, the entire City Council will have the opportunity to vote to pass the bills which include Resolution 694 and Resolution ___.

WGA and SAG-AFTRA are on strike to push for the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP) to negotiate a fair minimum basic agreement (MBA) which is negotiated every three years. The WGA went on strike first and was followed by its sister union, SAG-AFTRA – a moment that has not happened since 1960. As of today, a combined 170,000+ creatives are out of work to push for better wages, streaming residuals, protections from artificial intelligence, health insurance, and other labor agreements.

New York City hosts a large media and entertainment industry. Over 185,000 New Yorkers are employed in the industry, contributing to 6.5% of the City’s annual gross domestic product.

Lowell Peterson, Executive Director of the Writers Guild of America, East, said, “The streaming video on demand model has transformed how our members’ work is commissioned, and produced, and distributed, and paid.  This has not been good for middle-class writers.  Shorter seasons, longer gaps between employment, fewer paths up the career ladder, lower pay rates, lower residual payments.  Add to this a newer existential threat:  Artificial Intelligence. If the studios, networks, and streamers fail to provide stable, middle-class careers to writers, what happens to writers and writing? If people can’t make a living writing scripts, then scripts won’t get written. And shows and films won’t get made. The companies’ refusal to bargain about our core proposals – proposals that would enable writers to build and sustain their careers – is a threat to the whole industry and therefore to the economy of this City. We remain ready, willing, and able to negotiate – about all of the issues that need to be addressed.”

Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, the Writers Guild of America, East’s Vice President of Film/Television/Streaming sector, said, “Writers are now entering their fourth month of a necessary but painful strike. We were forced into this action because our employers refuse to compensate us fairly even while they rake in record revenues and profits off of our labor. We are grateful the elected leaders of New York City take our demands seriously and are taking a stand for the workers.”

“The WGA is on strike for the future of our industry,” said Erica Saleh, who serves on the WGA Negotiating Committee and the Council of the Writers Guild of America, East. “We are not only fighting for fair wages that allow us to maintain a life in the city that we love, we are also, ultimately, fighting for the very existence of our jobs.”

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said, “My members want the same things for their children that the CEO’s making large fortunes want for theirs. We will not be stepped on and squeezed out of our livelihoods so they can look good to their shareholders.”

“I am not famous. I am one of the more than 86% of actor/performers in SAG-AFTRA who live one audition at a time, sometimes one paycheck at a time, but most definitely one day at a time.” said SAG-AFTRA New York Local President Ezra Knight

Rebecca Damon, SAG-AFTRA Executive Director, New York Local, Labor Policy, and International Affairs said, “This is about money in people’s pockets and the ability of SAG-AFTRA members to control their own image and likeness. It’s about the basic concepts of compensation and consent. In this city, we believe in fair wages and good working conditions and unions have led the fight for jobs that can sustain a living in the greatest city in the world.”

As artificial intelligence quickly transforms business models and consumer interactions, governments are struggling to keep up and regulate unprecedented technology. In the negotiation conversations from both unions, artificial intelligence remains a sticking point. As of now, companies are offering to pay one-time day rates for actors to then use their likenesses in future productions without additional compensation. This threatens to displace human labor and disrupt local economies as workers struggle to find stable work and earn living wages.

“The New York City Labor Movement stands behind our City’s writers and actors who are taking a principled stand to defend their jobs and their crafts,” said New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO President Vincent Alvarez. “The AMPTP cannot continue to ignore the needs of workers just to appease its shareholders. Workers have a right to equitable pay and safeguards from unregulated, rapid technological advancements that threaten their livelihoods. The importance of these issues cannot be overstated—they affect not only entertainment workers but workers across the entire spectrum of our economy. The NYC CLC and our 275 affiliate unions will continue to provide support to both WGA and SAG-AFTRA as they fight for the fair and just contracts that they deserve.”

“New York City is proudly a union town and a home to creators of all kinds. As inflation and the cost of living continues to soar, it is important that our workforce can sustain a life of dignity in our city. Wages, however, have remained stagnant. Large companies have made profits off of the backs of our entertainment workers for far too long, shamelessly making millions and threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people. We expect the AMPTP to engage in good faith — New York City is depending on it,” said Chair of the Civil Service and Labor Committee, Council Member Carmen De La Rosa.

“I am proud to continue to show unwavering support and solidarity for the SAG-AFTRA and WGA labor unions as they fight for a fair and just contract for their members and all workers. The strike we are witnessing now is the Film and TV industry’s first industry wide shutdown in 63 years. An industry that has changed over the decades, including how we consume TV and film, but the demands for a fair and just workplace have not. This is why this City Council is standing in solidarity. Many of us know and appreciate the value having a thriving TV, film, and production community for any city and this is why myself, Chair De La Rosa, and my council colleagues, made it a priority to introduce two important resolutions that solidify this Council’s support for members of SAG-AFTRA and the WGA in New York City and nationwide,” said Council Member Amanda Farías, co-prime sponsor of T2023-3867.

“We can’t let people forget what these strikes are about – exploitation of workers by the studios who profit off of them. Using AI to write, repurposing actors’ likenesses without compensation, and using the ambiguity of streaming services to cheat workers out of fair pay– this is unacceptable, and this is the moment to take a stand and safeguard against future abuses. If you’re protecting workers here, you’re protecting workers everywhere,” said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams.

“Union writers and actors are a creative and economic force in New York City. The shows and movies they create support a much larger industry across the city, and a fair contract means shared wealth for New Yorkers,” said Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. “As studios and streaming platforms break revenue records, WGA and SAG-AFTRA members deserve a fair piece of the pie – a pie that they’re the very foundation of.”

“As someone who has always stood in solidarity with organized labor, it was particularly important to stand up today with SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America representing working families in our nation and city’s entertainment community,” said Council Member Lynn Schulman. “For too long, corporations and wealthy CEOs have tried to bankrupt the working class….that stops now.  The entertainment giants must come to the table and bargain in good faith, not only for their members, but for everyone who relies on this vital industry.”

“There is no reason so many workers should be struggling to earn a decent living in the film and TV industry: there is huge consumer demand, revenue way up, and more people than ever are streaming media at home,” said Council Member Tiffany Cabán. “The only reason creative workers aren’t paid enough to live comfortably on is because our capitalist system pushes those who actually do the work to the breaking point in order to ship ever-increasing windfall profits to big shareholders who do nothing except collect checks. The solution is worker power. That’s why we’re here today. Workers write the scripts, workers perform the roles, workers support and complete production, and workers deserve not just job and income security, but a real voice in the conditions under which they work. It’s time for these corporate bosses to recognize the writing on the wall: your days of freeloading off the hard work of those you exploit are over. Change is here.”

“As entertainment conglomerates rake in billions, it’s unconscionable that thousands of writers and actors are surviving from one paycheck to another. These brave individuals, most of whom are not widely recognized figures, lack the financial cushion of those with household names, making it even harder for them to make ends meet during the strike. I proudly stand in solidarity, calling on the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers to provide them with the benefits and protections these hard-working artists deserve. Members of SAG-AFTRA and WGA deserve nothing less than fair contracts,” said Council Member Carlina Rivera (D-02).

ABOUT THE WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA, EAST
The Writers Guild of America, East, AFL-CIO (WGAE) is a labor union representing writers in film, television, broadcast and streaming news, podcasts, and online media. The Guild negotiates and administers contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of its members; conducts programs, seminars and events on issues of interest to writers; and presents writers’ views to various bodies of government. For more information on the Writers Guild of America, East, visit wgaeast.org.

ABOUT SCREEN ACTORS GUILD – AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TELEVISION AND RADIO ARTISTS
SAG-AFTRA represents approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other media professionals. SAG-AFTRA members are the faces and voices that entertain and inform America and the world. With national offices in Los Angeles and New York, and local offices nationwide, SAG-AFTRA members work together to secure the strongest protections for media artists into the 21st century and beyond.

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