Biden Backs WGA Strike Resolution, Next Up: SAG-AFTRA Unrest
President Joe Biden has signaled his support for the tentative agreement designed to conclude the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike. On Monday, Biden expressed his approval for the tentative resolution, lauding both the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. He underscored that the formation of this agreement, which bears assurances related to artificial intelligence, is a clear testament to the power of collective bargaining.
In his statement, Biden emphasized, "There simply is no substitute for employers and employees coming together to negotiate in good faith toward an agreement that makes a business stronger and secures the pay, benefits, and dignity that workers deserve. I urge all employers to remember that all workers - including writers, actors, and autoworkers - deserve a fair share of the value their labor helped create.”
This comes after Biden had addressed the matter in May at a White House event, aligning himself with the writers' demand for a fair deal. However, while Biden has been vocal about his support, he has steered clear of Los Angeles, where the WGA and SAG-AFTRA unrest has been mostly concentrated.
The Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers unveiled a tentative agreement on Sunday, stating that the specific details will soon follow. The finalization of this draft is contingent on the guild committees' votes, slated for Tuesday.
However, even as the WGA strike appears to be nearing its end, actor's union, SAG-AFTRA, remains embroiled in its own strike. Biden, alongside Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, quick to celebrate the prospective resolution of the WGA strike, is also expected to join the United Auto Workers' picket lines on Tuesday.
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It appears that when the theatrical curtains fall, the political curtains rise. And vice versa. Politics, my friends, is the greatest drama of all. Certainly, the President's involvement in Tinseltown's kerfuffles has added a touch of C-Span to our Hollywood Reporter-esque lives.
Props to Biden for understanding the value of storytelling to our nation's fibre-a sentiment, I must say, gladdens my old school, entertainment-industry heart. The nuances of the entertainment industry and labor negotiations aren't always an easy script to read, but our dear President did take the time to learn his lines.
Bravo, sir. While you may not be in a sitcom or a blockbuster movie, you definitely have proven you’re worthy of some screen time in our drama-soaked town.
The upcoming part, however, seems like a cliffhanger from a well-scripted drama series. Can Biden apply the same negotiation chops to help the SAG-AFTRA strike get a happy Hollywood ending? How about a sequel to this episode: "Biden vs. Unrest II: The Actorsequel"?
But let's not race ahead to the 'spoiler alert' section right away. For now, raising our glasses to this round of happy endings, we sip and say cheers. Union drama, after all, is merely one in the vast multi-genre universe in this cosmic town we call Hollywood. Keep your popcorn bowl ready, folks. This show isn't over.
