Hollywood Celebrities Will Support Actors’ Union to End Ongoing Strikes
Hollywood A-list celebrities like Emma Stone, Tyler Perry, Scarlett Johansson, Ben Affleck, and George Clooney are stepping up by donating $150 million over three years. It’s hoped that the sum will improve benefits for actors while ending the months-long strikes.
The two stars were joined by other Hollywood personalities when they met with the leaders of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).
Part of their conversation was removing the cap on membership dues. The money would instead be used to fund and improve benefits.
According to Deadline, George shared that many celebrities want to be part of the solution. During the meeting, he explained, “We’ve offered to remove the cap on dues, which would bring over $50 million to the union annually. Well over $150 million over the next three years. We think it’s fair for us to pay more into the union.”
The group of actors also proposed a system ensuring that the last names on the call sheet get paid first since they need money the most. They also want a residual system in place for streaming. (Note that residuals are checks that the writers and actors receive if their previous work will be rebroadcasted.)
Speaking for the other artists, George said, “We also are suggesting a bottom-up residual structure—meaning the top of the call sheet would be the last to collect residuals, not the first. These negotiations will be ongoing, but we wanted to show that we’re all together and find ways to help close the gap on actors getting paid.”
Right now, rebroadcasting has dwindled significantly because of streaming. So even if the studios pay fees under a new system, the money generated from it would be less.
Despite their good intentions, union members were not happy with the celebrities’ proposals. This included Julie Benson, the writer for He-Man and Star Trek.
“If the A-listers really want to help, maybe they could supply a food truck to the picket lines (thanks to the showrunners who continue to supply), or better yet, show up and picket for their union. Glad they’re trying to do something but take the fight to the studios where it belongs,” she retorted.
Julie found a sympathizer in Mike Pusateri, an actor from Chicago Fire and Fresh Off the Boat. “If the A-listers want to help us and them, they can get their asses to a picket line! We’d get the deal we deserve, and our strike would be over by Halloween,” he reiterated.
The strike has dragged on for more than 100 days. Experts predict that if no resolution or compromise happens soon, this year’s holiday-themed productions will be jeopardized.
A Brief Background on the Actors’ Strikes
Protests began in July, pitting labor union SAG AFTRA against the studio executives of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). In addition to better benefits, a contentious point is the demand for residuals—that actors receive payments according to viewership levels when their productions are replayed on air. Streaming services like Disney, Netflix, and Amazon have been unwilling to make this information available.
