Labor Draws the Line

By Daniel Rivera, Reporter
Despite open hostility from the Supreme Court regarding labor, coming out of the pandemic this country is experiencing an ongoing labor wave amidst rising inflation and cost of living as companies transition out of pandemic-era practices like distancing and remote work. 

“The main thing for me is screenwriters and actors don’t get to share in the success of shows for the streamers and it t creates problems for actors and writers as basic as keeping your health insurance, paying your rent,” writer Brad Keene told RLn. 

The writers have been an ongoing strike for about 14 weeks, spurred on in part by industry heads’ recent comments in regards to starving out the strikers. 

Their statement lays bare the strategies the studios are engaging with, leaning on both existing and expected capital from the various projects completed before the strike. 

“I was very shocked and disappointed that the studios are this out of touch with how hard actors and writers work,” actress Joanne Chew told RLn when asked about Disney CEO Bob Iger’s comment regarding starving the strikers. 

The sentiment shared by Chew was shared by the other protestors, answering with similar statements in dismay regarding how out of touch Iger’s statements were. 

Universal and InterContinental are just some of the companies experiencing strikes right now in the Los Angeles area, yet both experienced profits in 2022

The hardline tactics increase in intensity, defying even the law itself with Universal Studios cutting several trees outside of its headquarters to punish the strikers as they protest in nearly 100-degree weather across the valley and Los Angeles. 

While the lines are being drawn, in other corners compromises are being reached with UPS, which was recently forced back into negotiations with the Teamsters, who have recently gained a deal in spite of the ongoing United11 strikes. 

The various needs and proposals of the various unions run the gambit from wage increases, residuals, staffing, or benefits. 

Why the various companies are experiencing the strikes, according to IHG Hotels and Resorts, the Company that owns the InterContinental Hotel reports a 27% change in profits from 2021 to 2022, from $494 million to $628 million.

“The company is really cutting so much, the staffing, the stocks,” Mark Levita, an InterContinental worker, told RLn. 

Coming off the pandemic, wages rose as various service companies were seeking to fill holes in the staff. After the pandemic, employers still experienced shortages. 

Amidst the turmoil of rising profits and worsening working conditions, there has been a large union push over the last two years. The new unions are the Amazon Labor Union earlier this year and Starbucks workers united with spots in Long Beach unionizing as recently as late last year. 

Since the ’80s, wages have largely stagnated after the Air Traffic Controller strike was busted, gutting the labor movement in the United States. 

Since then, the lowering of union participation coincided with stagnant wages amidst rising inflation and the pandemic, which has forced the federal government to consider increasing interest rates and further increasing unemployment. 

But like the local strikes, there are wins for labor as well as losses. The federal government’s hydra-like response to labor strikes, with hostility from SCOTUS while Joe Biden appointed a nominal pro-labor secretary for the U.S. Department of Labor, who has gone on to endorse several stickers and tentative agreements. 

While SCOTUS and actions from the likes of Universal represent the interests of capital, arguably their actions both within the bounds of law and outside of it, are the culmination of rising tensions with labor. 

Both sides now push against the limits of law and popular support, with labor finding new life within the last three years.