Actors Hit Picket Lines In LA As SAG-AFTRA Joins Writers On Strike

LOS ANGELES -- Members of the SAG-AFTRA actors union joined writers on the picket lines today, officially marking the first time in 63 years both unions have been on strike at the same time, with many observers fearing the labor impasse could last for months as the sides remain far apart on key issues.

Members of SAG-AFTRA set up picket lines in front of Hollywood's major studios at 9 a.m. Friday, including Warner Bros. and Disney in Burbank, Amazon and Sony in Culver City, Paramount and Netflix in Hollywood and Fox in West Los Angeles.

``We're in it for the long haul,'' SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher told reporters Friday morning on the picket line when asked about the possibility of a drawn-out labor impasse. ``... This is not something that's going to go away quickly unless they (the studios) come to the table and come to their senses."

"Unless somebody has the character and the courage to walk into that board room and say, `These are the people that make our business. They are the center of the wheel. If we don't make them happy, what are we doing? They have to be happy. They're the performers. We should honor and respect them for their massive contribution to this industry'," she added.

On Thursday, the union's National Board voted unanimously to issue a strike order -- leading Drescher to angrily denounce the major studios as ``a very greedy entity,'' while the studios' bargaining arm countered that it had offered ``historic'' benefit boosts.

The strike order took effect at midnight Thursday, and starting Friday morning, SAG-AFTRA joined picket lines with the Writers Guild of America, which is in the 11th week of its own walkout against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

-- City News Service