The main topic is the strike by Hollywood actors' union, SAG-AFTRA, over pay and concerns about the future of the industry. The key points are:
1. The strike is the first in 43 years and has brought the American movie and television business to a halt.
2. The strike is a result of failed negotiations with studios over a new contract, with streaming services and artificial intelligence at the center of the dispute.
3. Actors and screenwriters are striking together for the first time since 1960, with both unions seeking better pay and working conditions.
4. The rise of streaming and the lack of transparency in calculating residuals for streaming content are major concerns for the unions.
5. Studios are struggling with the true cost of streaming and the loss of revenue from traditional distribution models, while also trying to build and maintain their own streaming services.
United Auto Workers members have overwhelmingly authorized a strike against General Motors, Ford Motor, and Stellantis during ongoing contract negotiations, with an average of 97% of members supporting the action, although the final votes are still being counted.
The U.S. National Labor Relations Board has ruled that businesses that commit labor law violations must bargain with unions if a majority of employees support unionizing, reviving a policy abandoned over 50 years ago.
Hollywood writers are on strike, and major issues include streaming, artificial intelligence, writers' rooms, and length of employment.
More than two-thirds of Americans, including 88 percent of Americans younger than 30, support unions, according to a recent AFL-CIO poll, and there has been a surge in union strikes and support due to increased corporate greed and inequality.
Workers at Los Angeles International Airport's shops and restaurants vote overwhelmingly to authorize a strike over Labor Day weekend, putting pressure on the tourism industry amid ongoing disputes over wages and working conditions.
US unions have experienced a surge in strikes over the past year, with major victories and defeats, as workers leverage low unemployment and a favorable public opinion toward unions to demand better pay, benefits, and working conditions.
The rate of union membership in the US has been steadily declining for decades, even as strike activity has increased, due to factors such as labor laws that make it difficult for employees to form unions, the influence of corporations in suppressing unions, and a shift in the composition of the workforce away from traditional union strongholds.
Trade unions in the US are experiencing a resurgence, with an increase in strikes and rising public support, and this is now extending to American firms abroad, as workers at Chevron plants in Australia consider going on strike.
The United Auto Workers union has gone on strike against General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis simultaneously, demanding increased wages, benefits, and job protections, marking the first time in its history that it has struck all three of America's unionized automakers at once.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 58% of Americans support the auto industry strike by the United Auto Workers union, while 60% support the Hollywood strike by screenwriters and actors.
