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Actors are set to hit picket lines Friday morning in their first strike against film and TV productions since 1980 and the nation’s largest strike since 1997.
There are 160,000 members of SAG-AFTRA, the union representing everyone from A-list stars to struggling actors working other jobs while awaiting their first break in the industry. The union argues that the rapid changes in the industry in recent years, with the rise of streaming services, have made it impossible for many if not most of the members to earn a living acting.
This is the largest number of union members to be on strike since 180,000 Teamsters walked out on UPS in 1997. But it might not be the largest for long. The Teamsters, who have 340,000 members at UPS, are threatening to strike the parcel delivery giant on August 1 without a new contract.
The actors also join more than 11,000 member of the Writers Guild of America who have been on strike against the same studios and streaming services since May 2. That union is striking over many of the same issues as SAG-AFTRA.
The writers strike had already halted production on most films and television shows, and the fear is that with the actors joining them there could be a long work stoppage stretching into the fall and perhaps to the end of the year.
