How writers’, SAG strikes inspired global worker solidarity

Hollywood saw global TV as strike insurance. Workers of the world have other plans.

From Los Angeles Times:

This spring, as the chances of a writers’ strike moved from “possible” to “inevitable,” Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos claimed, with what could easily be construed as smugness, that his streamer could weather a strike because of its growing library of international content.

And it is certainly true that Netflix has offered American audiences something rarely seen on the small screen before: films and TV series from all over the world in their original languages (with subtitles and dubbing available).

This is not, however, the result of cultural beneficence. Netflix is an international company serving a worldwide audience and the cost of production in many of the countries it serves is much lower than in the United States.

Due, in part, to the fact that many of those countries do not have entertainment unions as strong or agile as those in the United States.

But if Sarandos and the CEOs of all the other studios planning to lean on international content to get them through the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes thought that the fear of seeing even more jobs go overseas would force American writers and actors to pare down their demands, they appear to have underestimated the power of artistic solidarity.

It isn’t just American actors and writers who want to be paid fairly. It’s all of them.

It appears by not negotiating with the WGA for over 100 days and SAG-AFTRA for over a month, the presence of striking writers and actors has galvanized workers in South Korea:

Netflix slammed for not paying South Korean actors any residuals

South Korean actors in Netflix originals want better pay

South Korea’s Directors Guild Pushes for Bargaining Rights and Backend Pay from Streamers, Studios

Netflix gets a lot of programming from South Korea including the hit TV series Squid Games. That series is notorious for this:

‘Squid Game’ Creator Gets No Residuals or IP Ownership Despite Series Earning $900 Million for Netflix

Maybe the action by South Korean actors contributed to the AMPTP returning to the negotiating table on Friday.

#WGAStrong

For the latest updates on the strike and news resources, go here.

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