Hey Crew,
A group of writers here. We’ve been wanting to reach out.
First off, we are not WGA leadership. But we are writers on strike who have been hoping to connect because we see you and what you’re sacrificing for us (sometimes without having a choice). Knowing how our strike is affecting you, we are here to express our appreciation and also open up the lines of communication.
For many of us who spend a lot of time on set: you’re not just our collaborators but also our friends. For those of us who don’t have as much experience on set (yet!), we want to get to know you.
We want to acknowledge that what you’re going through right now is not easy. We know when you refuse to cross our picket line, you risk being reprimanded, losing a day’s pay (or much more) and you have to go home empty-handed. The irony of this happening during a labor movement where we’re advocating for everyone’s work to be valued and compensated fairly is infuriating to us.
So we’ve founded a group called The Union Solidarity Coalition to bring the various unions of the entertainment industry into dialogue and to raise money for those of you who are struggling right now due to our strike.
We’ve created a mutual aid strike fund. The great thing about mutual aid is it’s direct, accessible and fast. We know there are some other funds out there doing great work, but we thought a quick-access, very grassroots effort specifically for below-the-line aid could be useful.
We’ll be hosting events that act as both fundraisers and social gatherings for folks across unions to hang out and get to know one another. Our first push is to raise money for IATSE members who have lost health insurance due to the shutdowns.
You can read more about our events and apply for aid on our site: TUSCtogether.com
Watch our socials- @TUSCtogether on Twitter and Instagram- for the upcoming announcement of our first summer event.
Also: just zooming out here, we know there are some questions about the issues we’re striking over. We recently chatted with some IATSE members who asked us to clarify. We made a little breakdown of our main asks and why they matter. You can find that on our site too.
We want to stand with you like you’ve stood with us. You will have our support when it’s your turn to negotiate. When your unions (or in the case of P.A.s who don’t have a union, when you individuals) stand up and demand fair compensation, reasonable hours, healthcare, or pension, we’ll back you up. There’s a labor crisis in this country. Together, we can lead the way in modeling reform.
That said, we know there are issues that are unique to your unions. We want to learn more about those so we can properly support you and act as one.
Let’s open up the lines of communication. Anything you want us to know, any questions about what we’re fighting for, or other ideas for solidarity building projects, bring it on. Or even if you just want to vent to us, like “Someone on the picket line yelled SCAB at me when I drove on to the lot yesterday to do my job and it made me feel like shit, I’m not the enemy here.” That’s just one example we heard on a chat with some of your members… writers shouldn’t be doing that.
Here’s a gmail we set up for you to email us directly: TUSCtogether@gmail.com
We’ll also host weekly zooms if you want to chat with us about any of this. Times will be posted on our site.
We believe everyone’s hard work in this industry should be valued fairly. People should be able to make a stable living doing this work. Sets are ecosystems where everyone has an essential role to play, and the collective only functions if each individual does. In that way, a set is a lot like a union.
Here’s to our future together. We’ll see you soon.
Signed,
The Union Solidarity Coalition
