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IAM Western Territory General Vice President Gary R. Allen, Chief of Staff Bobby Martinez, and Grand Lodge Representative Richard Suarez held the line with Writers Guild of America (WGA) strikers outside of Paramount Studios in Los Angeles last week.
“This is what being in the labor movement is,” said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Gary R. Allen. “When one of us is treated unfairly, we all rise up for the justice of all workers.”
The writers went on strike on May 2 over a number of issues, most notably job security protections and compensation with regard to industry changes that come from the emergence of streaming services, like how writers are hired and the nature of their work.
Allen was in Los Angeles to open the IAM Committee on the Future listening sessions and made it a priority to show solidarity with the striking writers.
“The writers have brought up some very serious concerns regarding artificial intelligence, job security, and fair compensation,” said Allen. “We were proud to represent the IAM’s strong support for WGA as they strike for fair contract terms that meet the changes in their industry.”
“The cause of the strike is significant,” said Western Territory Grand Lodge Representative Richard Suarez. “There’s so much revenue coming from streaming platforms which didn’t exist when the writers’ old contracts were agreed upon. They’re not getting residuals for the content they made that’s making the streaming services incredibly profitable.”
Many unions are voicing their support for WGA, including the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), and showing up to picket lines on both sides of the country.
“It was just so vibrant,” said Suarez. “The solidarity was just evident there.”
