UNITED STATES—First we had the Writers Guild of America striking in May, then you had actors strike with SAG-AFTRA in the summer, now you have the United Auto Workers who went on strike last week. It does pose a question, are we seeing a massive trend when it comes to seeing industries go on strike. Let me say I’m not pro-union or against unions, but as someone who previously held a position with a company for many years that was part of a union, I can understand the perks that come with it.
For starters, it prevents people from just firing you without an actual reason for doing it. Take it from personal experience, I witnessed one company fire nearly 30 people in a single day to prevent those workers from becoming members of the actual union. Yes, it totally sucks, but it happens a lot and more often than people suspect.
As a writer, I believe what the writers are doing is great because the film studios and TV networks are making billions and a lot of those writers who are NOT established names are making crumbs. What people have to realize is that with some writers in TV you have a hit show one minute and then you don’t. Guess what, the checks stop at that point. If you’re a film writer, you can perhaps get a hefty payday for one movie and then you don’t have a hit for years or ever again. Writers want consistency and residuals from their work. I mean when I heard about the residuals that some of the actors were receiving, I was flabbergasted.
Cents, I mean cents, this is what people were making. Like why in the hell even mail a check like that out. What are you going to do with that? Exactly it is indeed a slap in the face, but I’m certain these television and film studios are making a pretty penny on those re-runs. It was quite insulting to say the least.
If we thought the entertainment industry being on strike was bad, well you can now add a major one to the list, the UAW. Yes, GM, Ford and Stellantis workers are in a situation that is about to cause havoc on the economy. Yes, the autoworkers are on strike and they have a firm leader with their UAW president who is fighting for the workers to get them what they want. The question is how long this strike for the UAW is going to last because if it transpires more than a month, this is something that is going to stifle the auto industry and the economy as a whole.
The big problem is it’s going to directly impact the pockets of the CEOs for the auto industries, and I wonder how they will respond if they are unable to negotiate a deal sooner rather than later. With that said, you’re running into a situation where multiple industries are at a standstill. If those workers are not working that means money is not going into the economy. As a result, that means money is not being spent and that has a domino effect on other industries.
You have a situation where other industries that are connected to the auto industry and the entertainment industry are getting impacted by these strikes. Their businesses are being impacted by this work stoppage. So it’s only a matter of time before other businesses start to fold and either lay off workers or shut down business. That can be quite detrimental to say the least.
Written By Jason Jones
