Autumn has arrived in Los Angeles, but it’s still a toasty 29C outside Paramount Studios in Hollywood where, as of Saturday 21 October, striking actors will have gathered in force for 100 consecutive days. The picketers don’t mind the heat, though. Last month, as temperatures soared to over 40, they continued to march on the hot tarmac outside the offices of Netflix, Disney, Warner Bros and others.
The Sag-Aftra actors’ union and the association representing the major film and TV studios have failed to reach a resolution since actors went on strike in July, despite the best efforts of George Clooney who, among other stars, just offered to pay millions more in union fees to help end the strike. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists is demanding assurances over the use of artificial intelligence, higher minimum pay rates and increased streaming residuals.
