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Writers are on strike. Remember these 5 Hollywood strikes that came before it?

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The Writers Guild of America is on strike for the first time in 15 years, causing Hollywood productions to grind to a halt. The union says the transition to streaming has cut writers’ pay, while studios and producers are under pressure to cut costs as they attempt to turn a profit. Labor disputes in Tinseltown are nothing new. Here are the most pivotal strikes in entertainment history in this week’s Five for Friday.

5: 1941 Disney Animators Strike

Just a few years after the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney’s animators decided it wasn’t the happiest place on Earth to work. The studio was in debt and artists were working longer hours for less pay. Walt Disney himself pushed back against the animators organizing under the banner of the Screen Cartoonist’s Guild, which led to an eventual walkout.

The artists used their talents to make some of the best picket signs in the history of labor. After five weeks, a federal mediator sided with the artists on their demands.

In the end, the union was recognized, pay was equalized and they created a set salary structure.

4: 1945 Set Decorators Strike

In 1945, a crew strike shut down Hollywood and resulted in one of the more violent scenes on a studio lot. The catalyst for the conflict was over which union would represent the industry’s set decorators. Thousands of members of the Conference of Studio Unions went on strike in March, and after nearly seven months, some studios still held out.

The Black Friday melee took place on the Warner Bros. lot in October when non-strikers represented by the more seasoned International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees tried crossing the picket line and chaos ensued. The scene included tear gas, fire hoses, brass knuckles and flipped vehicles. Dozens were hurt but nobody died.

The CSU eventually won the right to negotiate but their victory was short lived. After facing accusations of being run by communists, the union disbanded in the early 1950s.

3: 1960 Actors Strike

President Ronald Reagan helped reshape Hollywood well before he was in the Oval Office. In the 1940s and 1950s, the rise of television had taken a toll on the film industry. When motion pictures were aired on the small screen, actors didn’t get any additional compensation. Despite pressure from Reagan, who was serving as president of the Screen Actors Guild, producers refused to pay and actors eventually refused to work.

After six weeks of striking in 1960, SAG members struck a deal that included small payments when films were telecast, known as residuals, a practice that continues today.

2: 2000 Commercial Actors Strike

In 2000, 135,000 union-represented commercial actors launched a 6-month work stoppage against the Association of Advertising Agencies. At the time, commercial actors would get residual payments when their ad aired on network TV. However, there were no residuals for cable TV airings, where the average union actor would be paid $1,000 for a commercial and nothing more.

After a boycott of blue chip brands like Proctor & Gamble, the final deal boosted cable ad pay by 140% and introduced negotiations for internet ads, a growing segment at the time.

1: 2007-2008 Writers Strike

The last Hollywood strike was waged by the Writers Guild of America in 2007 and 2008. The focus was residuals for DVD sales and the emerging streaming landscape. Without writers for 100 days, primetime programming went dark, seasons were cut short, shows were forced to go on hiatus and the Los Angeles County economy took a $2.5 billion hit.

Eventually the writers had to drop their demands over DVDs and focused on increasing union pay in streaming, an issue that studios and writers are still fighting over today.

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SIMONE DEL ROSARIO: HOLLYWOOD WRITERS HIT THE PICKET LINES FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 15 YEARS THIS WEEK. THE GUILD SAYS THE MOVE TO STREAMING HAS CUT WRITERS’ PAY. WHILE MOST PRODUCERS ARE UNDER PRESSURE TO CUT STREAMING COSTS EVEN MORE, STILL TRYING TO TURN A PROFIT AT ALL. LABOR DISPUTES IN TINSEL TOWN ARE NOTHING NEW, WE HAVE THE MOST PIVOTAL STRIKES IN ENTERTAINMENT IN THIS WEEK’S FIVE FOR FRIDAY. 

 

FOUR YEARS AFTER THIS BOX OFFICE SUCCESS, 1941.  DISNEY ANIMATORS DECIDED IT WAS NO LONGER THE HAPPIEST PLACE TO WORK. THE STUDIO WAS IN DEBT AND THE ARTISTS WERE WORKING LONGER HOURS WITH LESS PAY.  WALT DISNEY PUSHED BACK AGAINST THEM JOINING THE SCREEN CARTOONIST’S GUILD, WHICH LED TO THE WALKOUT. AND THEIR TALENTS LED TO ARGUABLY THE BEST STRIKE SIGNS IN HISTORY. FIVE WEEKS LATER, A FEDERAL MEDIATOR SIDED WITH THE ARTISTS ON ALL THEIR DEMANDS. THE COMPANY WORKERS UNIONIZED, PAY WAS EQUALIZED AND THEY CREATED A SET SALARY STRUCTURE.

 

THIS 1945 CREW STRIKE SHUT DOWN HOLLYWOOD IN A VIOLENT WAY. THE CATALYST WAS CONFLICT OVER WHICH UNION WOULD REPRESENT SET DECORATORS. THOUSANDS OF C-S-U WORKERS WENT ON STRIKE IN MARCH, AND AFTER NEARLY SEVEN MONTHS, SOME STUDIOS STILL HELD OUT… INCLUDING WARNER BROTHERS, THE SCENE OF THIS BLACK FRIDAY MELEE. NON STRIKERS REPPED BY THE I-A-T-S-E TRIED CROSSING THE PICKET LINE AT THE LOT AND CHAOS RAINED DOWN. TEAR GAS, FIRE HOSES, BATONS, BRASS KNUCKLES, FLIPPED VEHICLES. DOZENS WERE HURT, THOUGH NO ONE WAS KILLED. C-S-U EVENTUALLY WON THE RIGHT TO NEGOTIATE BUT IT WAS SHORT-LIVED. ACCUSED OF BEING RUN BY COMMUNISTS, THE UNION FOLDED IN THE EARLY 50S.

 

FUTURE PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN RESHAPED HOLLYWOOD WITH THIS ONE, BACK WHEN HE WAS A DIFFERENT KIND OF PRESIDENT…OF THE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD. IN THE 40S AND 50S, THE RISE OF T-V HAD REALLY TAKEN A TOLL ON THE MOVIE INDUSTRY, AND WHEN MOTION PICTURES SWITCHED TO THE SMALL SCREEN, ACTORS DIDN’T GET PAID FOR THOSE RUNS. DESPITE PRESSURE FROM REAGAN, PRODUCERS REFUSED TO PAY OUT, AND ACTORS EVENTUALLY REFUSED TO WORK. AFTER SIX WEEKS STRIKING IN 1960, SAG MEMBERS STRUCK A DEAL. IT INCLUDED SMALL PAYMENTS WHEN FILMS ARE TELECAST, KNOWN AS RESIDUALS, SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS TO THIS DAY. 

 

IT’S THE COMMERCIAL ACTORS’ TURN IN THE STRIKE SPOTLIGHT. IN 2000, 135,000 UNION MEMBERS LAUNCHED A SIX-MONTH WORK STOPPAGE AGAINST THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ADVERTISING AGENCIES  COMMERCIAL ACTORS WOULD GET RESIDUAL PAYMENTS EVERY TIME A COMMERCIAL AIRED ON NETWORK T-V,BUT NOT CABLE, WHERE THE AVERAGE UNION ACTOR WOULD GET A THOUSAND BUCKS FOR THE AD AND NOTHING MORE. AFTER A BOYCOTT OF BLUE CHIP BRANDS,  THE FINAL DEAL BOOSTED CABLE AD PAY BY 140% AND INTRODUCED INTERNET AD NEGOTIATIONS, THE NEXT FRONTIER. 

 

HERE’S ONE EVERYONE BUT GEN Z REMEMBERS. THE LAST HOLLYWOOD STRIKE WAGED BY THE WRITERS GUILD IN 2007 AND 2008.THE FOCUS WAS RESIDUALS FOR DVD SALES AND LOOKING AHEAD TO DIGITAL. WITHOUT WRITERS FOR 100 DAYS, PRIME TIME WENT DARK. SEASONS WERE CUT SHORT, SHOWS WENT ON HIATUS, AND THE LA COUNTY ECONOMY LOST $2.5 BILLION. EVENTUALLY WRITERS GAVE UP DVD DEMANDS AND FOCUSED ON INCREASING UNION PAY IN STREAMING, WHERE WE PICK BACK UP TODAY.

 

WITH THE WRITERS OUT, ENJOY THOSE RERUNS, LET’S HOPE THERE’S A DEAL BEFORE T-V DEVOLVES INTO THIS. THAT’S FIVE FOR FRIDAY I’M SIMONE DEL ROSARIO, IT’S JUST BUSINESS.