On the picket lines with Hollywood’s actors and writers, from LA to New York

Luke DePalatis, right, gets a cooling spritz of water from Michael Abel during a rally by striking writers and actors outside Warner Bros. studios Friday, July 14, 2023, in Burbank, Calif. This marks the first day actors formally joined the picket lines, more than two months after screenwriters began striking in their bid to get better pay and working conditions and have clear guidelines around the use of AI in film and television productions. On both coasts, though, there was a buoyant mood in the air as picket lines were reinvigorated by the support of some of the 65,000 actors who comprise SAG-AFTRA (98% of members voted to approve a strike back in June). Yet, look at this — our picket lines are more full than ever and now have another union on strike with us.”SAG and WGA last went on simultaneous strikes more than six decades ago. It’s the fact that Bob Chapek, Bob Iger, David Zaslav are making untold millions in bonuses while writers and actors are going to the Emmys with negative bank accounts.”