TORONTO — The high visibility of sister strikes in screenland could lend a further boost to a labour movement that observers say was already on the rise.
The sight of Hollywood celebrities on the picket line is capturing people's attention, and the message from the striking actors and writers seems to be getting through, said Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress.
"These are our superheroes," she said. "These are the folks that we see on our TV screens and on our Netflix and various different devices all the time. And so there's a heightened interest by the general public — much more than you would see with the general public."
Members of SAG-AFTRA, the actors' union, walked off film and TV sets on Friday after failing to come to an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and TelevisionProducers on issues that include residual payments in the streaming era and the use of artificial intelligence.
The actors joined members of the Writers' Guild of America on the picket line. They went on strike in May and have yet to reach a deal.
Bruske said many of the picketing A-listers have so far done a good job of explaining that they aren't striking because they need more money, but because their lower-paid peers, such as background actors or those who play supporting characters, aren't making enough to live on.
"The reason for the strike isn't much different as to many other workers who are deciding that they have to walk a picket line," she said. "It's job security, it's making sure that you have a reasonable wage that keeps up with inflation, it's making sure that you have benefits, and that you have respect and dignity at work."
Bruske said the Canadian labour movement has picked up steam in recent months in tandem with the rate of inflation. In her 30-plus years in the labour movement, she said, she's never seen so many people looking to unionize.
She said the actors' strike is increasing visibility for the movement, and encouraging people to talk about the broader issues.
"They're fighting the fight that many workers see themselves fighting across the bargaining table from various different employers, whether you're a longshore worker in B.C., or a grocery store cashier in Toronto, these are your all workers, these are common issues," Bruske said.
British Columbia port workers resumed their strike Wednesday morning after rejecting a proposed deal their union struck last week. At the same time, employees at 27 Metro stores in the Greater Toronto Area narrowly avoided a strike, reaching a tentative agreement with the grocery giant after a late-night bargaining session.
Sunira Chaudhri, an employment lawyer in Toronto, said collective action is most necessary at times of great change in industries, to ensure the workers' voices are heard.
"When it comes to industries that are in flux, like the entertainment industry and many industries that are in flux post pandemic, unions have to step in to reset the temperature and reset the floor of rights that employees have," she said.
Chaudhri said she expects the focus on the actors will increase as the strike goes on and film and TV releases dry up.
"We're all going to be paying attention, because what do we go home and do every night? We turn on the streaming service," she said. "The moment that we begin to feel the ramifications of labour not supporting the services, we're all going to be following how labour is impacting entertainment."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 19, 2023.
Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press
