A strike is a collective assertion of our dignity. It’s not about money — except insofar as, in America, money equals respect.
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While the methods of production and distribution have transformed several times over, every industry-wide strike since 1950 has been about residuals. Residuals have historically been the most hard-fought battles. Now there is streaming, and AI.
If the ongoing film and TV writers strike is successful, the Writers Guild of America could establish a model for how service sector, app-based gig workers can take on Silicon Valley.
As streaming content has boomed, the Writers Guild of America says that new media models like Netflix and other online platforms have steadily eroded workers' pay and writers' ability to earn a living in Hollywood. Some 11,500 members are on strike.
It’s been 15 years since the last WGA strike, and the stakes are far greater.
Striking writers take on The Industry, and more news from tech and media
A spate of acquisitions, including Microsoft’s $68.7 billion deal for Activision Blizzard, marks a flashpoint among organizers looking to make inroads in a mostly nonunion industry.
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