Before Fran Drescher
Before Fran Drescher (star of TV’s The Nanny) made headlines about entertainment industry labor struggles, the future of TV and film seemed solid. No one can dispute the powerful role TV and entertainment plays in today’s world, but is it in jeopardy? Advanced TV Herstory’s organic evolution has certainly been steered by the headlines of the last eight years.
SAG-AFTRA and the WGA Take a Stand
Like many in May, I monitored the Writers Guild of America (WGA) decision to strike. In mid-July, the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) rejected the studios’ offer that didn’t address many issues also on the WGA’s list.
A joint strike of both unions hadn’t happened since 1960 and today’s issues are as monumental the ones that formed the strike platform 63 years ago. First, they seek residual pay from streaming services (that are not required to publish “box office” activity). In light of increased use of AI (artificial intelligence), the unions seek job and likeness (for actors and voice artists) protections. In short, they stand against powerful forces just to keep their jobs and create art.
As a former union member from a union family, I find this to be an important topic to bring to listeners. Highly visible labor struggles and work stoppages have a ripple effect to other industries. So understanding these unions’ power informs our view of the future. That applies to non-union as well as union labor, given AI’s growth. Further, I am intrigued that there have been two women WGA presidents, Victoria Riskin and Meredith Stiehm. Seven women have led SAG or AFTRA (pre-merger) and two since the organization merged.
In 2023, Meredith Stiehm leads the 20,000 WGA members (on the east and west coasts). Fran Drescher has served 160,000 SAG-AFTRA members since 2021. Before Fran Drescher, President Gabrielle Carteris (Beverly Hills, 90210) led the union during COVID, from 2016 to 2021. Carteris led the industry through workplace safety and PPE concerns, vaccination policies, and travel.