As SAG-AFTRA and the alliance representing major studios resume negotiations, members of the union have thoughts about the current labor effort, as the strike has now surpassed 100 days.
Walt Keller, who comes to the picket line dressed as Mr. Rogers, says that after so many days, “I’m just exhausted, and I know I’m not the only one. No one thought it would drag on this long.”
After Keller appeared on This Is Us as Mr. Rogers, he says that he got recognized for the role often, so he started dressing as the character when picketing.
“I come out here as Mr. Rogers because it makes my fellow SAG members feel good, during a time when they’re stressed out. It’s a small thing I can do.”
But, he says, tension is still high among actors. He spoke of a friend who had just taken a second job in order to pay his housing costs.
Keller says that if he could speak directly to the AMPTP he say, “Please find some compassion. Mr. Rogers had a saying, ‘if it’s mentionable, it’s manageable,’ and I think that’s true.”
He goes to say, “We know there are answers. The writers and directors found those answers, and I’m sure we can find those answers too.”
Disney Lot Captain Shelby Lee, who joined SAG-AFTRA in 2019, says that, “None of us want to be out here any longer than necessary, though obviously we’re perfectly happy to stay out here as long as it takes to get the deal we deserve.”
Lee says that, ‘it’s fascinating how little [the studios] are willing to give.’
“We’re not asking for an astronomical amount of money when they just get to continue to resell content and keep making money. It’s shocking that they don’t feel that they can give us a fraction of that money.”
She feels that it’s also a respect issue, in that while the whole business model has changed, with studios making the decision to move content to streaming, those same entities refuse to compensate actors properly, when it’s the actors who are responsible for making the content possible in the first place.
Lee also points out that for actors to do their job they have to live in one of the most expensive cities in the country, and she thinks that middle America needs to remember hat while there are very high paid actors, “the vast majority of actors don’t work every day, and even if we do work fairly consistently, part of the money that we make has to go to our team — our agents, our managers, our lawyers, and if you have one, a publicist, as well as taxes. So, when people think, ‘oh actors are paid a lot,’ for regular actors our day rate ends up being pretty much what most average Americans make.”
For this very reason, says Lee, earning more upfront for streaming, and receiving residuals from prior work for streaming in a manner similar to network payments is very important for actors to make a living.
For Kelly Kaminski, a nine-year member of SAG-AFTRA, a big concern is the use of Artificial Intelligence of A.I. in creating movies and television shows. “With technology constantly changing, my fear is that if they get my face, they may never pay me again.”
He explains, saying, “They’re essentially stealing people’s faces. People didn’t know what they were doing because actor wants to say no when someone says, ‘we want to take your picture,’ but now we’re wise to this and we can’t let it go on. This is why our union has to fight for a say in all things A.I.-related going forward.”
Keller summed up his feelings about what will end the strike, staying on point with his personal mission on the picket line, as he says, “The thing is, we all know the money is there, that the studios have it, so it’s just a matter of being fair with it, and sharing. Which is exactly what Mr. Rogers would want everyone to do – share. So, let’s make that happen and make everyone happy.”
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