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Smaller studios, including Republic Pictures, were also affected by the six-month long strike.
Meanwhile, members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees found themselves locked out of all Hollywood's studios. Their placards read: "Locked Out by Producers."
In 1937, a strike by members of the newly formed Federated Motion Picture Crafts loomed. In response, members of the Screen Actors Guild met in the Hollywood Legion Stadium (pictured) to discuss the strike of motion picture craftsmen. The strikers announced their intention of enlisting thousands of workers within a week, in a nationwide boycott of Hollywood movies. Huge numbers of men and women ended up picketing the nation's theaters.
In 1933, technicians at Paramount Pictures took industrial action in pursuit of a pay claim. The studio was forced to shut down. Its closure attracted a crowd of unemployed men attracted to positions advertised as studio guards needed while the studio remained closed. Pictured are hopefuls seeking a job.
Scores of screen stars took part in a serious discussion of the film strike during an emergency meeting of the Screen Actors Guild in Los Angeles, among them Jane Wyman, Henry Fonda, Boris Karloff, and Gene Kelley. Standing at the back is Ronald Reagan.
In a gesture of solidarity, children and wives of striking Conference of Studio Unions members had formed a picket line in front of Columbia Studios. It was affectionately dubbed the "diaper demonstration."
The 1980 actors strike was held by SAG and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists in a dispute about labor contract negotiations with representatives of film studios, television networks, and other independent producers. Hollywood A-lister Charlton Heston was among the stars joining the picket line.
The WGA strike of 1981 brought motion picture and television production very nearly to a halt. Among the famous faces picketing the 20th Century Fox Studios in Los Angeles was Billy Wilder (right) and Gore Vidal.
Movie studios, too, were targeted. Hollywood painters, draftsmen, make-up artists, hairdressers, and scenic artists gathered outside film production premises demanding immediate recognition of the union. But the picketers ultimately failed in their objective and the FMPC soon collapsed.
Attending the emergency meeting and photographed for posterity meeting British film actor David Niven was picket Glen E. Atkinson, injured during the riot. Hollywood Black Friday remains one of the most bitterly contested disputes between unions in US labor history. The strikes led to the passage in 1947 of the Taft–Hartley Act, a United States federal law that restricts the activities and power of labor unions.
The 1960 Writers Guild of America strike coincided with a walkout by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) led by its president, Ronald Reagan. This lasted six weeks and involved a dispute with the Motion Pictures Producers Association over pay issues regarding movies being screened on television. Dual strikes would not be seen again for 63 years until the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
The WAG strike in March-June of 1973 lasted three and half months. Pictured here is actor and comedian Jerry Lewis on the picket line outside Universal Studios, one of several studios impacted by the industrial action. The Guild was seeking a new contract with producers and the studios.
The longest strike in the history of the WGA took place from March 7 to August 7, 1988—153 days! Some 9,600 television and movie writers on both coasts of the United Sates went on strike in a contract dispute that immediately disrupted production of numerous television shows. Motion picture production, though, escaped relatively unscathed.
In 1987, actor and SAG president Ed Asner spoke at a rally of striking ABC and CBS Writers Guild members. The gathering took place at Television City in Los Angeles and received support from actors and several on-air news personalities. Asner remarked "to reduce staff is to reduce quality. The public should be concerned and wary of the content of the news." The dispute involved issues of job security, benefits, and use of temporary and part-time workers.
Another crippling strike against the Hollywood studios by all 12,000 film and television screenwriters of the American labor unions Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), and Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) in 2007 caused major problems for many shows by disrupting their seasons. A massive rally and march in Hollywood featured celebrities on the front line.
Actress Katherine Heigl, who played Dr. Izzie Stevens on the ABC television medical drama 'Grey's Anatomy' from 2005 to 2010, demonstrated her solidarity during the strike.
Equity received support from the theatrical community, the public, and the American Federation of Labor. In September, the entertainers won the strike, forcing the producers to sign a contract with the AEA that contained nearly all of Equity's demands.
One of the first strikes by entertainers took place in August 1919 in New York City, when a parade of actors belonging to the Actors' Equity Association (AEA) took to Broadway in pouring rain to voice their protest against the Producing Managers' Association and its harsh working conditions.
Three years later in 1936, across the country in New York City, actors belonging to the Federal Theater Project (FTP) went on strike in response to the threat by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to slash acting jobs in the city. About 200 members of the FTP took possession of the FTP offices on Eighth Avenue, while others staged a sit-down protest in front of the building. Policemen are shown making an unsuccessful attempt to force the picketers to move on.
In New York City, actors Mickey Rooney and Martin Balsam were among 400 actors rallying at Columbus Circle in support of their SAG colleagues.
Noah Wyle of 'ER' fame and Billy Baldwin, the second-youngest Baldwin brother, are pictured during a press conference in 2000 demonstrating their support for members of SAG and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) during their seven-week strike against the American Association of Advertising Agencies.
A strike in 1960 by Equity members, including actors and stagehands demanding increased minimum wages and a pension fund, shut down theaters on Broadway, resulting in New York's famous theater district becoming shrouded in darkness.
Pictured: Broadway stagehands walk a picket line in front of the Broadhurst Theater in November 2007. The strike halted 'Les Miserables' and other productions as most theaters closed their doors in response to the workers' actions. As with previous industrial disputes in New York's theater land, the fabled lights of Broadway dimmed during the walkout.
In March 1945, the 10,500-member Conference of Studio Unions went on strike. Picket lines appeared outside the Hollywood studios. However, the rival 12,000-strong International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees opted to carry on working. After a six-month stand-off, strikers and non-strikers confronted each other outside the Warner Bros. employee entrance. The ensuing riot became known as Hollywood Black Friday with 25 injured and several vehicles overturned.
Ben Stiller, placard in hand, was among the many A-listers converging on Fox Plaza in Los Angeles in 2007.
One of the first casualties of the walkout was the July 13 London premiere of 'Oppenheimer.' The movie's stars, among them Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, and Florence Pugh, walked out of the film as the strike began. Director Christopher Nolan said the actors had left to "write their picket signs for what we believe to be an imminent strike by SAG."
Pictured: striking SAG-AFTRA members picket with striking WGA workers outside Netflix offices on July 19, 2023, in Los Angeles. The dispute was the first joint walkout by unions against Hollywood studios since 1960.
Also in 1960, members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) voted to strike over a dispute with the Alliance of Television Film Producers. The walkout ended 148 days later, with improved rights and pensions for scriptwriters.
Hollywood actors joined a strike by screenwriters in the industry's most extensive shutdown in 63 years, demanding a fairer split of profits and protection from artificial intelligence (AI), including consent for the creation and use of digital replicas or alterations of performance. The WGA strike began on May 2, and SAG-AFTRA joined their efforts on July 14.
The strike spelled disaster for the Emmys which usually take place in September. On July 28, Television Academy Chair Frank Scherma made the announcement that the 2023 Emmy Awards ceremony had been postponed indefinitely. They were rescheduled for January 2024. It's estimated that the months-long strike cost the economy a whopping US$6 billion—a figure that includes the lost wages of those on strike.
Sources: (The New York Times) (Los Angeles Times) (The Hollywood Reporter) (Time) (Rolling Stone) (CBS)
See also: Strike! The most famous employee walkouts in history
In 2023, a historic strike brought Hollywood to a standstill for months. It started when members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike on May 2, demanding improvements to their working conditions, compensation structure, and protection of their jobs from AI. After several months of unsuccessful negotiations, the writers were joined on July 14 by their brothers in entertainment: the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG–AFTRA). This marked the first time both unions formed a dual strike since 1960. The WGA finally made a satisfactory deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) in September, after 148 days on strike. However, SAG-AFTRA continued its stint on the picket lines, holding out for their own moment of victory.
Finally, after 118 days—the longest SAG-AFTRA strike in history—they announced that they had reached an agreement. The strike officially ended on November 9. The deal includes the first-ever protective rights for actors against AI, as well as a historic pay raise of 7% across all minimums. Their pension and healthcare contributions will be increased, and a “streaming participation bonus" was also mentioned in an email from SAG-AFTRA to its members. This new contract between the union and studios is reportedly worth a whopping US$1 billion.
Union rules dictated that a vote must be held and at least 50% of the members must vote in favor in order for the deal to be ratified. Voting opened on November 14, and on December 5, SAG-AFTRA revealed that 78.33% of voters expressed their approval of the deal. This majority vote was much higher than expected as there have been grumbles on social media about the AI section of the contract. While not all members are satisfied with the provisions laid out to protect them from AI, SAG-AFTRA leaders reassured them that they will make further progress on this point during negotiations for the next contract in three years.
So, what are the most infamous Hollywood strikes that have seen stars take to the streets? Click through and join the picket lines.
When Hollywood strikes: famous picket line moments
SAG-AFTRA ratify historic new three-year contract with studios
CELEBRITY Strike
In 2023, a historic strike brought Hollywood to a standstill for months. It started when members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike on May 2, demanding improvements to their working conditions, compensation structure, and protection of their jobs from AI. After several months of unsuccessful negotiations, the writers were joined on July 14 by their brothers in entertainment: the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG–AFTRA). This marked the first time both unions formed a dual strike since 1960. The WGA finally made a satisfactory deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) in September, after 148 days on strike. However, SAG-AFTRA continued its stint on the picket lines, holding out for their own moment of victory.
Finally, after 118 days—the longest SAG-AFTRA strike in history—they announced that they had reached an agreement. The strike officially ended on November 9. The deal includes the first-ever protective rights for actors against AI, as well as a historic pay raise of 7% across all minimums. Their pension and healthcare contributions will be increased, and a “streaming participation bonus" was also mentioned in an email from SAG-AFTRA to its members. This new contract between the union and studios is reportedly worth a whopping US$1 billion.
Union rules dictated that a vote must be held among the members and at least 50% must vote in favor in order for the deal to be ratified. Voting opened on November 14, and on December 5, SAG-AFTRA revealed that 78.33% of voters expressed their approval of the deal. This majority vote was much higher than expected as there have been grumbles on social media about the AI section of the contract. While not all members are satisfied with the provisions laid out to protect them from AI, SAG-AFTRA leaders reassured them that they will make further progress on this point during negotiations for the next contract in three years.
So, what are the most infamous Hollywood strikes that have seen stars take to the streets? Click through and join the picket lines.