In 1960, SAG and WGA struck to force management to adapt to the new technology of television. Without that strike and the agreement it birthed, residual use payments would not exist.
My parents forced me to be a child actor, and stole nearly all of my salary from my entire childhood. My Star Trek residuals were not much, but they were all I had, and they kept me afloat for two decades while I rebuilt my life. I have healthcare and a pension because of my union. The AMPTP billionaires want to take all that security away so they can give CEOs even more grotesque wealth at the expense of the people who make our industry run.
We must now fight for the future of our industry in the face of changing technology, the same way our elders fought for us in 1960.
To give some sense of what is at stake: There are actors who star in massively successful, profitable, critically acclaimed shows that are all on streaming services. You see them all the time. They are famous, A-list celebrities. Nearly all of those actors don’t earn enough to qualify for health insurance, because the studios forced them to accept a buyout for all their residuals (a decade of reuse, at the least) that is less than I earned for one week on TNG. And I was the lowest paid cast member in 1988. They want to do this while studio profits and CEO compensation are at historic highs. Nearly 9 in 10 SAG-AFTRA members does not earn the $26,470 required to qualify for health insurance. Meanwhile, studio executives are pocketing tens of millions of dollars of bonuses and compensation. Each. (CNN: “When Iger rejoined Disney as CEO in November 2022, he agreed to an annual base salary of $1 million with a potential annual bonus of $2 million. The agreement also includes stock awards from Disney totaling $25 million [and] Netflix’s co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters made $50 million and $28 million, respectively, in 2022, according to a company filing.”)
Those billionaire CEOs complain that what we are asking for is unrealistic and unsustainable. They say we — we — are destroying the industry that was so profitable and successful for a century before they arrived.
I realize they want to remodel their third vacation home so they don’t embarrass any of the guests they take there on their yacht. My heart just aches for them as they struggle to keep up with a changing business model. Here’s the thing: if the current business model of the industry only functions when labor allows itself to be exploited so that executives make thousands of times their salaries, that business model should be destroyed.
If workers refusing to be exploited makes a CEO’s bloated salary unsustainable, I think that’s kind of the point.
We in Labor aren’t hurting our industry. We’re fighting to save it from predatory sociopaths who will gleefully watch people lose their homes and go hungry, rather than release 2% of their grotesque wealth to ensure a healthy industry for everyone.
I mean, if not now, when? And I haven’t even touched on AI and working conditions. I’m only talking about the fundamental ability and opportunity to make a living, to survive and hope to thrive, in the entertainment industry.
We must now fight for the future of our industry in the face of changing technology, the same way our elders did for us in 1960. So today, my Spacemom and I went to the place where it started for us, way back when, to do just that.
I see all your support. It means so much. Thank you.
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I hope you win your fight Wil. I can’t stand corporate greed (among other things, it’s poisoning the UK’s water supply as we speak), and anyone who can put a dent in it has my support.
Strength to your arm, Wil. The exploitation has to end.
Striking for better pay and working conditions (particularly, re. perpetual likeness scanning licenses) is reasonable. Cloaking it in “kill the rich” rhetoric is beneath you.
I’m gonna need to see your badge, Tone Police.
Not policing tone, just hoping for rational argument rather than retro-Marxist class struggle.
Maybe this isn’t the blog for you, friend.
Dude, get over yourself. Seriously.
I don’t see any such rhetoric in what Wil wrote.
You might want to re-read it yourself.
There is nothing about killing them. I see something about risking embarrassing them.
Hyperbole aside, I’m not seeing where any of that is actually inaccurate.
More power to you and all those who are striking for better conditions for working actors and writers, the majority of whom are not famous and who don’t earn enough from their acting/writing to live on it!
Fun fact: Roughly only 5% of the 160,000 members of the actor’s union actually make enough money to sustain a livable wage.
My buddy lives on Van Ness, right across the street from Paramount. For the past few months the non-stop car horn-honking by WGA and now SAG-AFTRA supporters has been amazing and full of spirit!
I so fully support both unions in their efforts (I’m just a voucher away from being SAG eligible). I spent time with the writers there at the Paramount front gate (and the little studio across the street) back in May. So much love and respect!
But I worry that the horse is out of the barn. I’m no expert, but I think the whole “streaming” system may be heading towards collapse as these services try to aggressively carve out as much cash from their subscribers as possible (Tier 1= annoying ads every five minutes, Tier 2 = annoying ads every eight minutes, etc.). Did I hear that they are already big-time in the red? Netflix has truly turned into the supervillain in all of this. Disney and a few others will be close behind. How much longer will the average subscriber put up with rate hikes and mediocre content?
The pedantically predictable and de-throned Creation “Star Trek” convention is happening here in LV next week (your favorite—I know). I really want to talk with folks working in the Industry to get a better sense of where it’s all heading.
(By the way—for anyone here who is not an actor, let me tell you. Being a professional working actor is ABSOLUTELY SUPER DIFFICULT. Much, much harder than you think. You have to love it with all of your soul. From constant rejection to chasing auditions to working and bringing your “A”-game at 3:00 in the morning to maintaining professional relationships with at times difficult and even unstable personalities… It is HARD WORK and not glamorous at all. And yet only 5% (FIVE PER CENT!!) of SAG-AFTRA members make enough to sustain their living and pay the bills.
Let that sink in.)
Keep it up Wil. You’re fighting the good fight.
Hope you are enjoying the pen from JoCo.
Have my support from here in the UK for you, for Space Mom (I’m still catching up on Picard s3 and she’s so good! Who wouldn’t want her to be paid?!) and for all the writers and talent who deserve their fair due. Don’t let up, don’t give in, don’t settle for crumbs!
Not going to movies until the strike is resolved. Totally support all the reasons writers and actors are striking. Sometimes hard things have to be done to get stuff straight. The entertainment industry, like most, has folks who do big jobs and carry lots of responsibility but without the bit players the products would all be bland and sad and I don’t just mean extras. It takes janitors, secretaries, PAs, parking attendants, cooks, dishwashers, seamstresses, coaches and a host of others to make your industry effective in its performance. All deserve a living wage, no one deserves 8/10ths of the pie and the balance shared between the rest of the team. Best of luck…remember your sunscreen.
Keep fighting the good fight. More power to the workers.
You know, when you think about it, the Borg Queen is pretty much a CEO with a non-unionized labor force.
It’s kind of hilarious that the whole ‘red scare’ was rooted in a fear of communist takeover, when in reality capitalism by its very nature (incessant growth and acquisition/assimilation) is about as Borg-like as you can get.
Labor omnia vincit! Give ’em hell, Wil!
Greetings, Mr. Wheaton! I found it interesting to get your perspective. I watched some of the live coverage in Times Square yesterday trying to understand better. My dad lost his job in 1981 due to automation, and died from suicide shortly after. He had been working as a type-setter for a major newspaper for 16 years.
I’m having trouble understanding a few things about the strike though. At least one speaker at the Time Square event mentioned “corporate greed” (which I fully agree is a huge problem in our American society, in which “capitalism without a conscience” is very common), and I wonder if they’ll continue to speak about it after the strike has ended. I wonder if writers and actors will depict it more in television shows and movies, and whether they’ll be more outspoken against advertisers that have a proven history of exploiting employees and consumers, the same companies that sponsor television shows and movies. Will there be more scripts about factory and fast-food workers that struggle to get by, who live paycheck-to-paycheck, who can’t get proper medical care, who have been injured on the job and don’t have the means to litigate for compensation? And as for the supporting industries of screen production, will costume designers, and the people who build the sets, who do the heavy lifting of props, and who clean up after messy scenes be compensated with residuals? Will the writers at SNL (formerly one of my favorite shows) cease insulting politicians and celebrities by implying that their odd or irrational behavior is caused by “mental illness”?
I understand you wouldn’t be able to answer some of these questions, nor can you responsible for implementing them, but hopefully my points by asking them are mostly clear. I can’t say I’m entirely supportive of the strike, though I’m fully supportive of their right to strike, and I do feel that workers, laborers, and artists deserve fair treatment, compensation, and health benefits. I would like to see it for workers in all industries, but of course I understand that when unions strike, they are striking on behalf of their own industry at the time.
If I seem overly cynical, I must admit it partly stems from jealousy; I used to have fantasies about being on the writing team at SNL and improving the show (but honestly, I’ve never worked to achieve that goal, so I’m in no position to pass judgment 😉 ).
Though I’ve expressed some unfair negativity due to ignorance of the issues faced by SAG-AFTRA and the WGA, you and your colleagues (including your spacemom) can reasonably assume that many people have similar questions such as I, and confusion about how the artists on strike will deal with socio-economic inequity and widespread corporate greed after the strike is over.
On a final note, I’d like to mention my hope that the writing of television series will improve after the strike. In my opinion, too many shows now rely on cliffhangers to keep the audience coming back for more. I’ve seen 20 or 40 minutes shows that don’t have much substance, until the very end where the last few minutes lead to a very dramatic buildup and cliffhanger. I long for the days of good stories that rely less on tension tricks and eye candy, and more on quality writing, such as those presented by Star Trek TOS and TNG.
The strike is the latest in a chain of events that has dealt decimating blows to the Industry overall. Frankly, I’m worried that the long term damage will be irreversible. Can cinemas survive another period of black-out for films? Can grips and production assistants and equipment haulers and agents and publicists and gaffers and everyone all wait out the strike? Yes, the essence of conflict involves two parties with different and contrasting goals. Yes, there are proponents and opponents on each side (much could probably be said about the Empire and the Rebellion as well).
But the fact that production studios want to just downright exploit/f*ck over actors is unacceptable. And the line must be drawn. There are studio execs and their lieutenants who are actively plotting ways to use actors’ likeness without having to pay them a dime. I’m all for someday watching an “Indiana Jones” movie complete with digital characters that sail over the uncanny valley. But for cripes’ sakes. They (or their estates) should get compensated.
I’ve done background work. It’s really trying. In fact, I won’t do it anymore. Or very rarely. The hours are long, you’re often treated as the lowest in the ladder (except for the Ray Donovan team—they were awesome). And when you’re non-union, the pay works out to like $8.00 or 9.00 per hour. Don’t get me wrong—it has its advantages. But you can make better money working at the local Burger Whop.
The point is: things are a mess right now. There needs to be firm course-correction.
It’s not that the actors will get little or reduced payment or benefits as technology advances.
It’s that they will get no payment or benefits as technology advances.
Been cheering for the Teamsters, still cheering for SAG-AFTRA! You go, Wil!
Any word yet on the decision on convention appearances? I was planning on going to GalaxyCon in Austin to get my book signed, but if either guild says no signings, then I’m not going. I’m willing to eat the cost of a pre-bought convention ticket (because I can afford it, and I still want to support the convention itself, and I would encourage others who can afford it to do the same), but not the travel and hotel costs.
I’m still scheduled. I’m talking with my union to know precisely what is and isn’t okay. Books and photo ops won’t be an issue at all. I just have to be sure I don’t accidentally cross a line when I sign pictures, and I’ll know how to avoid that before Austin.
Dude. You rock.
You know how on your IRS 1040 there is a spot to direct $3 to campaign funds? I wish there was a spot on streaming service bills to direct $3 to pay additional residuals.
Thank you, Wil. I had heard/read bits and pieces, but this blog post puts it all together like nothing else I’d seen or read. I really appreciate you.
LOVE YOU THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR POSTING THIS AND FOR PICKETING
Hey Wil, I really admire you, for your work in Star Trek and the Ready Room. You make me feel part of this family that I’ve been enjoying for more than 50 years. It has uplifted and inspired me my whole life. And now, thanks for your strong words about the strike. I know it must be hard for everyone but I am cheering for you. I am confident you will emerge victorious.
I unequivocally support WGA and SAG-AFTRA, and honor your work and the picket line. Could you let us know if there is anything that we can do to assist, lift-up, help, edify?
Happy Birthday Wil 🙂
I’ll be forever grateful to you for rekindling my passion for boardgames.
Best wishes from Germany,
Jörn
The Buddha said, “the middle way is best”, but sometimes during periods of abuse by others, Thor’s hammer must be employed. You all are UNION strong and I wish you all the best, you who have labored for long years and don’t have, many of you, much to show for it as far as being able to have the basics for a decent life. We know what those things are. I hope others step up, like Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson to contribute to the SAG-AFTRA foundation and help those who need medical coverage, money for groceries, rent, house payment. Be victorious through your patient and assertive actions.
All I can say is, no one ever went to a movie or tuned into a TV show because Bob Iger or David Zaslav’s names were anywhere on them. Writers and actors will emerge victorious. Without them, the studio heads become even more pointless than then already are. Strike on. You’re on the right side of history.
Happy birthday! Also, you’re amazing on the Ready Room. Have not missed an episode. As Jonathan told you on the episode with the cross-over….you truly are right where you belong, your passion shines…..
You look great!
As a fatherly dude closing in on 50, I’m curious about your approach to weight control. Since the pandemic I’ve been squirreling away calories in my midsection and I’m looking for a way to fit in my come-hither pants again.
Thanks.