Connecting Labor Strikes: What Changed?

     312 labor strikes involving 453,000 workers. That is the number of strikes in this past year alone. Labor strikes have been a prevalent tool used by employees throughout history to voice their grievances and negotiate better working conditions. From the Flint sit-down strike in 1936 to the recent Hollywood studios strike, there have been numerous instances where workers have come together to demand their rights. Organized by labor unions, strikes have allowed workers to complain and bargain with employers about their wages, benefits, working conditions, and job security. But what factors are causing these strikes to constantly occur after these hundreds of years?

Source: David Swanson / Bloomberg

Just over 150 days ago, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) started a labor strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), an alliance of entertainment companies. A prominent entertainment studio the strike was targeted towards was Hollywood Studios, as writers wanted more financial and job security during a time of change. The evolution of AI, shrinking teams of writers and residual payments, and disappearance of bonuses all factor towards the start of this strike. Corporations were already in cost-cutting mode, and they believed that they could get the actors and directors to agree to a deal first, similar to the last strike in 2007.  

However, the writers' approach changed from their last strike. With the threat of AI being used instead of writers, along with writers starting to use social media to garner support for protests, the WGA was more united than during the last strike. The studios began feeling the pressure even more when the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) also went on strike over AI on July 14, 2023. The rise in artificial intelligence was a prominent factor in the push for a change in the negotiations between the studios, writers, and actors. After numerous stalemates and concessions from the studios, the WGA strike finally ended on September 27, 2023, and an agreement with the Hollywood studios was made.

Source: Harrison / Getty Images

After a nearly 150-day strike by the WGA, the negotiations ultimately ended in success, as seen in this 94-page draft contract. Writers will have increased pay as the residual payments are next to nothing as shows air directly now instead of being sold on DVDs. Writers can also not be required to use AI when writing. Job security was also improved as the minimum staffing requirements for each show increased dramatically. Although the strike by the WGA ended as a success, the negotiations for the SAG-AFTRA strike are still ongoing. 

Along with their decreasing pay, the actors of SAG-AFTRA are also concerned about the emergence of AI that will threaten the security of their jobs. Emerging technology has been a major factor in the strikes that have been occurring, and labor strike methods have to improve to match them. In this situation, writers and actors used social media to pressure the studios because they were concerned about AI. A similar situation is seen in the Flint sit-down strike of 1936, where the workers took a different approach to combating the grueling labor conditions after the Great Depression.

Source: Bettmann Archives / Getty Images

United Auto Workers in a sit-down strike in a GM plant in Flint, Michigan.

'The strike heard around the world.' On December 30, 1936, workers took a unique approach to strike against General Motors (GM) by sitting inside the body plant instead of picketing because of the brutal changes that had occurred. After the Great Depression, GM had to lay off workforces, slash wages, have more automated machinery, and speed up assembly lines to keep the profit margins positive. Work at the factory was often grueling and did not require skill; Hundreds of men were also rehired each day for lower wages. 

    To combat this, a trade union called "The United Auto Workers (UAW)" began organizing at the GM body plant in Flint, Michigan. After rallying the workers without alerting the spies in the body plant, the plan was set forth on December 30, 1396. The goal would last a total of 44 days, ending in February. When officials were lugging critical equipment into railroad cars, workers flooded into the plant and occupied it throughout all 44 days. This prevented GM from producing products or using force to drive them out. The workers stood their ground at the "Battle of the Running Bulls," where they fought against tear gas and the police with the equipment lying in the plant.

    

 Source: Tom Watson / NY Daily News Archives

Devastated by the damage, GM had to call the governor Frank Murphy and the National Guard to facilitate negotiations between them and the UAW. Thanks to their unique approach, workers secured a wage increase and celebrated as they left the factory. They created a new striking method to fight against the conditions that emerged from the Great Depression. Similar to the Hollywood studios strike, the workers lacked job security because of the emerging methods companies were using to make profits. GM speeded up their assembly lines and had more automated machines to require less skilled workers, while Hollywood studios were investigating the use of AI-generated content.

Overall, both strikes devised new approaches to battle against poor labor conditions, wages, job security, and benefits. While the workers at GM occupied their plant for days, Hollywood writers and actors came together with social media to pressure the studios. In both cases, workers had to demand protection against the changing technology in changing times. However, there is one thing that is constant. Strikes will continue to be a powerful tool for workers to demand rights in times of change.

 Sources:

• The Hollywood Actors Strike Will Revolutionize the AI Fight | WIRED
• As Actors Strike Drags On, Despair Descends on Hollywood | Vanity Fair
• The Hollywood Strike Is Ending. This Is How It Happened. - Bloomberg
• All the details of the WGA contract that ended the writers strike - The Washington Post
• Memorandum of Agreement for the 2023 WGA Theatrical and Television Basic Agreement (wgacontract2023.org)
• The 1936 Sit-Down Strike That Shook the Auto Industry | HISTORY
• Sit-down strike begins in Flint (history.com)