By Bethany Leonard
Officially commencing on July 14th, 2023, the SAG-AFTRA strike put a complete halt on the employment of millions of entertainment workers. From makeup artists to directors to actors, the 118-day strike created a small, but powerful, spike in unemployment.
As of 2023, the motion picture and sound recording industry consists of 452.8 thousand workers. The strike of about 160,000 workers resulted from failed negotiations for better pay and working conditions between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The AMPTP said the strike will "deepen the financial hardship for thousands who depend on the industry for their livelihoods” (TODAY.com).
The strike disrupted the entire film and television industry, shutting down numerous forms of production, “including companies that provide catering for productions, restaurants near studios, prop houses, set builders, dry cleaners, professional drivers, florists, and more” (CNBC). In fact, the strike has caused California an estimated economic loss of about $3 billion.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the film, TV, and music industries shed around 17,000 jobs in August. Exhibited by this release of data, the U.S. unemployment rate rose from 3.5 to 3.8 percent.
As depicted in the multi-media artwork above, the sudden unemployment has had a number of negative effects on entertainment workers. Since the strike is a form of voluntary unemployment, those on the strike cannot collect unemployment benefits and have little to no source of income.
With a tentative agreement in place as of November 8th, 2023, it is expected that production will start again and some jobs will resume.
Sources:
https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-west/entertainment/2023/08/10/hollywood-actors--writers-strik es-have-cost-ca-economy--3-billion#:~:text=Holmes%20said%20the%20%243%20billion,who% 20service%20the%20major%20studios.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/09/hollywood-strikes-have-had-3-billion-impact-on-california-eco nomy-so-far.html
