Beyond Picket Lines - The Power of One
Beyond Picket Lines - The Power of One
Action Plan After the Hollywood Crew Rally
Last year was rough. For many of us who actively work in film and television. And the wounds heal slowly. Some wounds remain open. But yesterday’s rally for IATSE and Teamsters did not just inspire. Vital connections refreshed. Connections and conversations that could continue.
Whether we have more strikes this year or not, clearly there is quite a bit organized Hollywood labor CAN do. Not just our union leadership. Us. The workers. NOW.
I may be just one unknown background actor, scrambling to recover from last year. But as Shaan Sharma reminds me, it’s not “the union”. WE are the union. I am the union. And I’d like to participate in creating more community and communication within my union, SAG-AFTRA. And between other Hollywood unions. As well as other creatives, such as musicians, comedians and others who create, entertain and inspire. And the crews that make the shows go on.
I’m planning for IATSE and Teamsters to go on strike this summer. I want to do everything I can so that every single crew human feels they have the support they need to go ahead and vote for a strike authorization. If they don’t get the contract they need.
My resources and power may be limited. But what I noticed at the rally yesterday was that many of my fellow Hollywood workers are motivated like never before. What is missing is the regular communication that facilitates getting it done.
We are experts at this. Every time I’m on set I marvel at how much can go disastrously wrong. Yet look at all the stuff now available on screen. We made that! We may be so accustomed to the way things have been, we haven’t given ourselves enough opportunity to imagine how things could be better. We’ve pulled off fresh takes before. It’s what we do.
Each of our unions and sub-cultures within have extraordinary histories, accomplishments and benefits. Many of us can’t help but notice there remains ample room for improvement. If humans are not perfect, why would we expect our unions to be?
But there exists more than one lane to build community, share vital resources and make necessary changes. Our official union leadership and infrastructure are one such lane. There are many others. Within our unions. Between our unions. Beyond our unions. Within our industry. Beyond our industry.
Whether any of us strike this year or not,
I believe we can do the following:
boldly reform strike funds and mutual aid efforts
create networks to match housing, earning and self-tape needs with better resources
match more artists with flexible, artist-friendly union “day jobs”
create a more inclusive and diverse Hollywood - be grassroots allies
support & encourage flexible small businesses as an alternative to “day jobs”
create better networks & resources to support & encourage indie productions in a shrinking big studio job market
create coalitions across unions and industries to pass immediate legislation on the city, county, state and federal level BEFORE Inauguration Day . . . or Christmas
create better mental & emotional support networks to help artists & crew in a culture that clearly and fundamentally does not believe art creation is work
I’m in the process of evaluating my own financial and emotional bandwidth. When I think of all the wonderful people I got to be around at the rally yesterday, I marvel at how much more we all could do individually and together if some of us had a tiny bit more bandwidth.
Imagine the enormous difference just one can make.
One more person in pictures and video of the IATSE & Teamsters rally, under the flight path of departing corporate and private jets from Van Nuys, the day before contract negotiations start
One monthly in-person meetup for Hollywood workers - instead of waiting for the next official rally or a picket line (plans in progress, stay tuned!)
One more Solidarity member educating themselves on contracts & our industry
One available seat in a carpool or rideshare
One person to donate or ask for help within a smarter, more nimble strike funds model - such as grassroots mutual aid program AID IA !
One person to listen and allow me to decompress
For one hour. Or two. Because maybe my current family & friends tire of my union and industry talk.
One more subscriber to a writer’s Substack
One well-thought question to the person in front of me. To better discover them.
One more person to volunteer to be on the waiting list for any relevant union committee positions that might open
One more hour of overtime
One more day called back to set
One more follower for a fellow creative on social media. Today I followed James Conlon at the request of SAG-AFTRA Strike Captain and Solidarity Zoom host Miki Yamashita
One person known the night before, going to the same production location, with an available seat for hire in their ride
One more hour in a Zoom call that delivers the answers or connection I seek. Or representation.
One more point in a credit score
One more eligible voter to VOTE for worker-friendly candidates for local office in March & November
One person to read lines with me for my self-tape audition
One person to operate the camera for my reel or self-tape audition
One Runyon or Griffith Park hike to clear my head, reclaim perspective, and make a better decision
One moment of imagining what someone could be, rather than how they appear to me right now
One day or even a morning alone with no roommates in my space
One new friend I seek who doesn’t share my experience or appearance
One person I ask how I can be a better ally. Yesterday I asked a fellow union member I just met, Fernanda Espíndola.
One able body and truck on moving day
One more signature on a petition. Such as the one Jeff Reeves created to battle pay-for-play casting.
One character or crew position considered for someone who doesn’t share my experience or appearance
One hour in a safe, quiet and large enough space to record a reel or self-tape audition
One $500 Venmo, Cash App or PayPal. Or $50. Or $5.
One room of safe sanctuary for affordable rent
One local political office-holder who shows up and offers to help. Yesterday at the rally I spoke with a local Mayor and my LA City Council person.
One paid task delegated to a qualified industry colleague in financial need
One more aspect of a delegated gig arranged as if it were a union job
One more person to call a legislator
One more person to attend a City Council meeting
One more sale on my ebay to fund the personal strike funds of myself and others
One more person to go to Sacramento. Or Washington D.C.
When someone has to fill out what feels like a tax return to get just a little bit of help, it’s abundantly clear to me we need to get to know each other better. Hi, my name is Mark! I’m a SAG-AFTRA actor, improv comedy busker, and creator of the Hero Tears procedural universe. The myStrikeFunds.org I created needs updating. I really dig what AID IA is doing. I need some help. I also can help some. Perhaps we can discover in a conversation a need matched with help. So if we share an industry, let’s get to know each other better. Let’s connect and perhaps meet up!
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