IATSE members flocked to the Writers Guild of America picketline outside Fox Studios Friday afternoon and raised their voices — and picket boards — in support of fellow union members as the writers enter week three.
“Labor must stay together. Workers must stick together. We are in a time where people need to be taken care of and have job security,” said IATSE President Matthew Loeb. Variety.
Loeb was in attendance, including IATSE Vice President Mike Miller and dozens of members of IATSE’s Local 800 and Local 695.
The beginning of the writers’ strike on May 2 has caused hardship for many in the industry, including IATSE members who lost scheduled jobs when productions stopped. Essentially, however, IATSE members face the same challenges: maintaining historic income levels amid historic shifts in how TV shows and movies are produced and distributed. And that common dilemma fuels an all-in-this-together approach that is noticeably stronger than in years past.
“Crew members have been feeling pain all year. There is certainly a lot less work,” said Stephen Harrod, a member of Local 695. IATSE was conducting its own tense negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers in the fall of 2021.
While Hollywood’s largest conglomerates have incurred billions of dollars in losses investing in streaming in recent years, the view from the street is that employers are hoarding profits and using the industry’s tumult as an excuse to undermine the substantial power that the WGA wields. , DGA, IATSE and SAG-AFTRA.
“There were a lot of negative job openings within the union saying, ‘Are the writers with us (in 2021)?’ They were,” Harrod said. “That’s why we’re here to support them. We are all tired of streaming services raking in the money and not paying their employees.”
The Fox picket site on West Pico Boulevard has had a steady and strong turnout, no doubt because so many industry insiders live in Los Angeles’ Westside. Notable WGA writer Peter Hankoff has perched himself in almost the same spot every day, between the curb and an MTA bus shelter. In the past two weeks, Hankoff has become a familiar spot for motorists – a WGA sentry standing upright with the edge of his board’s handle tucked into his waistband to support the board and rest his arms. His face is usually defiant but not unfriendly.
WGA member Peter Hankoff has parked himself in the same spot outside Fox Studios since the strike began on May 2
After days standing on the curb smothered by honks and screams and chants, Hankoff has made a few comments about human nature and LA drivers, in that order. First, the Los Angeles Police Department’s grassroots support the strike.
“I’ve seen them honk a few times. The city workers are honking too,” Hankoff shared Variety on Thursday. As he spoke, firsthand confirmation came in the form of a loud bang from a large maintenance vehicle in the city of LA.
Not everyone is in favor. “I freaked out once. I was honored by that,” said Hankoff, who has worked in film, TV and documentary production.
Fox Studios was already a stop on the route of the double-decker tourist buses that promise riders a look at ‘Movie Star Homes’. But now that writers are out and about, the buses seem to come more often. “They’re all taking pictures,” Hankoff noted.
Hankoff has also sometimes been commissioned for visitors trying to navigate Los Angeles without their own wheels. “I’ve given directions to people taking the bus from out of town,” he said.
Hankoff has spent all day watching the world go by across six busy lanes and has had plenty of time to look for trends in cars and those who drive them. The total number of assist horns is about six per minute – Hankoff knows because the traffic lights at the intersection of Pico and Motor Avenue have a 60-second cycle. (He knows this because he timed them. “I’ve been here too long,” Hankoff admitted.
Given his new take on traffic patterns, Hankoff has some simple advice for motorists.
“People drive too fast in the (far) right lane. Mostly Teslas,” he said. “Many Tesla people honked. Many Lexuses honked. I haven’t seen a single Bentley honk yet. Also, I have not yet seen a Rolls-Royce horn. I’ve seen a few Porsches honking.”
(Pictured above: IATSE members join WGA negotiating committee members)