The Writers Guild of America strike began in early May and came to a closing on Sept. 27, 2023. After a 148-day strike, the writers came back to their workplaces with what they considered a decent resolution to the mountain of issues they appealed. Going on strike was the only way for these corporations to make changes.
On June 13, 2023, Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) went on strike causing commotion across the globe. The industry is facing a complete stop because its workers, across all sectors, are demanding higher wages to stay afloat in the face of inflation and the problems that come with being part of the industry.
“We’re up against a system where those in charge of multibillion-dollar media conglomerates are rewarded for exploiting workers,” is the claim published on the official SAG-AFTRA website.
Actors, writers, and producers were all forced to stop working and wait until a deal was made with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Many people have become upset with the delays on projects.
Some of the shows that stopped filming and writing were “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, “Emily in Paris”, “Stranger Things”, and many more.
These writers and actors have fully committed to the strike, many had to hold second jobs to support themselves and effectively create the changes they’ve been longing for. The main argument behind the strike was the demand for a raise in pay as well as a more structured or secure payment plan for those in the industry.
“I think it is an effective outlet, and I also think it’s kind of the only outlet. Shutting down production, hitting the AMPTP in its wallet, is the only thing they’ll respond to,” says Mr. Bradecich, Millikan’s brand new Drama and Theater teacher.
The demands of these writers and actors don’t seem unreasonable at all, but there’s much more than what meets the eye. In 2022, the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery was a change that made this strike continue for far longer than it should have. The merger was a measure to combat their loss of subscribers. From then on the company has had its complete focus on paying off its debt.
It is important for companies to consider their employees’ needs, as we face inflation and the future of the economy in our country.
Laurissa Avina • Oct 26, 2023 at 10:41 am
Quezada does a really good job at properly giving the facts to the issue regarding actors, writers, and other entertainment workers and their demand for higher pay. They give detail in a more simplified form in order to help people who may not know much about this issue understand what is happening in the world. Using names of shows helps appeal to the emotions and opinion of the audience by giving a variety they might like such as talk shows or Netflix T.V. shows I would suggest to put more perspectives into this article such as those of the production companies refusing to pay their staff. This would give helpful insight on why the strike lasted 148 days and why they’ve suddenly come to a compromise. Overall, this articles was eye catching and insightful to the subject.
Sincerely,
Laurissa Avina
Kylie Mack • Oct 24, 2023 at 1:54 pm
The article gives a good insight into the current events that took place just a couple months ago. Though this certain topic did receive media attention, this article gives students and those who might have not known the true meaning of the event a deeper understanding. The many examples used by Quezadas within the article, such as shows paused from filming and writing, allows readers to truly understand how prevalent this strike is.
Another piece in this article that was found to be helpful as well as insightful was Mr. Bradecich, Millikan’s brand new Drama and Theater teacher, thoughts of this event. Believing that the SAG-AFTRA strike is an effective way to get what actors, writers and producers well deserve, he also notes that this may be the only way to do such a thing. Mr. Bradecich also notes that with the strikes it is truly “hitting the AMPTP in its wallet” the only thing the company really cares about. Quezadas article “ SAG-AFTRA ” is a strong, well-written piece, allowing the audience to have a deeper knowledge of events prevalent in society.
Adrian • Oct 24, 2023 at 12:00 pm
October 24, 2023
Dear Corydon Editor,
The article gives a good and simplified explanation of the events and reasons of the 148 day long strike happening in America and the problems many workers in the television industry are facing in terms of fair payment and an organized system of receiving said payment. The article is written to persuade the readers to give their attention to this problem and empathize with the underpaid workers who are simply asking for fair wages to combat the inflation that is actively going on in America. This was an ideal detail to mention as many citizens in America are facing the same issue of low pay with increased costs of living and thus relate to and empathize with the workers in the television industry.
The writer, in an effort to fully gain the reader’s attention while still getting across the seriousness of this issue, states that the matter is a global issue and lists off a few shows that have popularity to show how serious the issue really is. Stating that the matter is of global importance in the first two paragraphs of the article is a strong and effective way to completely grab the attention of the reader. This ensures that the details following the statement are ingrained into the reader’s mind which can lead to the reader going out of their way to contribute to fixing the issue. I do wish however that the writer stated the deal was not permanent and is only giving time for the corporations to replace their workers. This would have given the impression that the issue is still going on and has not been fully resolved leading to a more empathetic audience.
The writer’s inclusion of the exploitation of the workers in the television was a fantastic piece to include about this topic as it does a lot to encourage readers to spread the word to others that a popular and wealthy corporation is partially corrupt. This may lead to some readers actively boycotting the products of these corporations, making the issue an annoyance to the corporations seeking every possible dollar obtained at the cost of people’s livelihoods. Intended or not, the views the readers will have on these corporations has been tarnished and most will likely feel that they should not be supporting a corporation that actively trades the lives and well being of their workers for a few extra dollars in their pockets. This letter did a wonderful job at giving light to the issue while making it very easy to comprehend with proper grammar and a logical way of writing.
Sincerely,
Adrian Ramos
Elizabeth Torres • Oct 24, 2023 at 11:57 am
Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (or SAG-AFTRA) went on strike because workers are facing low wages and the effects of inflation are hurting them. Quezada does a great job of introducing the issue, especially to an audience with little to no knowledge of the Writers Guild of America strike. With an audience of Millikan High School students the quoting of someone known to the community with credible authority like Mr. Bradecich, Millikan’s brand new Drama and Theater teacher is extremely effective in giving the audience a perspective to look into. My only concern for the article would be the lack of information on behalf of the reproduction companies, the author did include the concern from the writers and actors on behalf of the strike but we lack knowledge on what has been occurring with production companies. Why have they waited so long to address the strike? Why were the wages so low to begin with? These are questions an active audience may be asking or interested to read about. However, the examples Quezada used were with purpose since she mentioned relevant shows that students of today would know. This includes, “‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’, ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’, ‘Emily in Paris’, and ‘Stranger Thing’.” The article was captivating in a way in which the readers may continue their own research which was left out of the piece.
Ava Valadez • Oct 24, 2023 at 10:13 am
Dear Corydon Editor,
This is an excellent article that clearly identified the reason why actors, writers, and producers were on strike for 148 days. As someone who was aware of the SAG-AFTRA strike but didn’t know much about it, this article was very interesting and informative. With that being said, one thing I would have wanted to read more about was how the lives of actors, writers, and producers, were affected. I am also curious as to how AI has a role to play in all of this. So maybe there could have been a little more information about that topic. Also, one question I had while reading this was, who initiated the writer’s strike? And why did they decide to go on strike June 13, 2023? Why not earlier? On another note, I am glad that Quezadas included examples of popular T.V. shows that stopped filming because of the strike. By mentioning the titles of recognizable shows, I think this is a good way to connect with the audience and capture their attention. I feel like there could have been a little more on how the sudden airing of new episodes or seasons of favorite shows impacted people around the world. One thing I would also have liked to see was how people reacted to the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, as that seems like something that seriously delayed the strike. Overall, I enjoyed reading this article and found it very interesting. Reading this article made me want to dive deeper into this subject.
Raquel Escamilla • Oct 24, 2023 at 10:08 am
October 24, 2023
Dear Corydon Editor,
On October 19, 2023 Tere Quezada wrote an article titled “SAG-AFTRA Strike”. In this article she addresses the strike called “The Writers Guild of America”. She brings to light the strike that had been going on since May all the way up to September 27, 2023 and the problems the Television and film industry have. As I read further into her article she mentions how actors, writers, and producers were all obligated to stop working. Now I can’t help but think how many of our favorite t.v shows were postponed due to this strike. Why couldn’t these companies or movie productions do what the writers were asking? I mean film productions must make a lot of money by how many great movies they release every year. Her article brings every point up as to why these writers are going on strike and like she said the writers and actors demands don’t seem unreasonable. While I did wish she named what specific film production the writers were striking against. Other than that her article about the “SAG-AFTRA Strike” was very captivating to read.
Sincerely,
Raquel Escamilla
Andrew Chavez • Oct 24, 2023 at 10:02 am
On October 24, 2023, Tere Quezadas wrote an article titled “SAG-AFTRA Strike”. An article that informs the audiences on the adversities actors, writers, and producers are facing as the mainstream companies such as Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are exploiting their workers. It is a very well stated article that pushes for the empathy of these workers that are facing inflation without a pay raise, as many normal citizens are also experiencing.
To make the article more appealing to its audience I suggest inputting a call to action, the readers can do to create a stronger connection and imprint from the author to the readers. Along with asking questions such as “Are you tired of experiencing underpayment in your work environment?” for the audience to feel the effects of inflation on themselves, furthering their engagement of the text.
Displaying the claim of the article in the introduction paragraph allows for the readers to experience and read the text through the lens of the writer, swaying the viewer to the author’s side of the argument they are trying to convey. The text is written very well allowing for students to be informed of major events that are occurring in the world around them, in this case, the writers strike.
Ethan Barnhart-Ross • Oct 23, 2023 at 2:00 pm
October 23, 2023
Dear Corydon Editor,
On October 19, 2023, Tere Quezadas wrote an article titled “SAG-AFTRA Strike”. This was a well written article describing the 148 SAG-AFTRA strike. The article gives a good general explanation of what the strike was about and how it was resolved. One thing I did wish the article included was that the strike was not only about being paid fair wages, but also about protection from AI (like the top image shows), and how often workers would receive their payments late. I also like how the writer mentioned different shows that were affected to show the ramifications of the strike, along with the fact that the effects are worldwide, despite the union only being in America, because people from other countries still watch American shows. On that subject however, I do think it would have been good to mention studios trying to move production to companies with less workers rights to continue exploiting workers and not negotiate with unions. I think it is also worth noting that SAG-AFTRA was only able to secure a temporary deal, in which the company executives are likely hoping to have better developed AI to replace the writers when it expires. While I do understand that the full story is complicated and simplifying it to wanting and obtaining higher wages can make the story easier to understand, I think the article could have gone more in depth. With that being said, I think the article does a great job at fulfilling its purpose in informing students of important current news events.
Sincerely,
Ethan Barnhart-Ross