I was one of a few U.S. Senators who was a member of a union (actually, two unions: The Writers Guild of America and SAG/AFTRA — which stands for The Screen Actors Guild and The American Federation of TV and Radio Artists).
You’ve probably noticed that the WGA and SAG/AFTRA are on strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). You also probably don’t know exactly what the strike is about. Most likely, you’ve heard about Artificial Intelligence and maybe about residuals — payments that writers and actors get when their shows are repeated on TV. Except they don’t — when their work is on streaming channels.
There are other issues too. The big issue is simply that the studios have too much power. This is something I warned about when I first came to the Senate. Soon after I arrived, we on the Judiciary Committee had hearings on NBC/Comcast buying Universal Studios. I alone spoke out against it, warning that exactly what is happening would happen.
Well, NBC/Comcast was allowed to buy Universal. Disney swallowed Fox. And on and on. And the big tech companies like Apple, Netflix, and Amazon now produce TV shows and movies and are sitting at the bargaining table, and the table leans in their direction. The pattern fits all over our economy, whether dockworkers, teachers, or retail workers.
Midwest Values PAC supports labor. And we will be supporting candidates who support labor. I hope you can help us today.
Al
P.S. The widening gap between those at the very top in our society and the rest of America is dividing us and making our country angrier and meaner. Please help MVP fight for a more equitable country for all our people.
