UNITED WE STAND

After reading this chapter, you should be familiar with the history of labor unions. You have learned the tactics that labor uses to demand new benefits from management, and you have learned the tactics that management uses to respond to labor demands. You are also familiar with the various laws that are involved in labor-management disputes. You may get the impression from the media that labor unions are in decline and don't have much clout anymore.

In fact, the number of people in labor unions has declined dramatically, but that doesn't mean that labor unions are not important today or that they have lost their passion for seeking fair treatment by companies. We are so accustomed to thinking about labor unions in the auto, steel, and other related industries that we tend to overlook some truly key industries where labor unions are very important. No doubt you have heard in passing of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and the Writers Guild of America. But do you have any idea what issues the membership faces in such unions? Are they the same issues that unions have always had-seniority, pay, benefits, etc.-or are they somehow different?

Many young people dream of becoming a "movie star." They see the glamour, the excitement, the adulation of the fans, and the huge paychecks. What they don't see behind the scenes is the constant fight going on to win and keep certain privileges that past actors have won. Back in the 1930s, actors worked unrestricted hours, had no required meal breaks, and had unbreakable seven-year contracts. The producers tried to control whom you could marry, what political views you expressed, and what your morals should be. The Screen Actors Guild won some concessions for the actors in 1937, but the studios pretty much still "owned" their stars. Eventually the stars won the right to better contracts, to the point where independent studios were formed and actors could control their own careers, even demanding a percentage of the gross for their pay. Other issues concerned residuals for films shown on TV and in reruns. Contracts had to do with things such as commercials and how the actors would be paid for them. Today's contracts deal with issues like diversity, salary and work conditions, financial assurances, safety considerations, and so on. Stipulations are constantly changing for actors. For example, independent film producers in the United States and around the world have different rules and requirements. TV commercials now appear on cell phones.

The Screen Actors Guild keeps up with such changes to ensure fair treatment of its members. While SAG is for movie actors, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists is a performer's union for actors, radio and TV announcers, and newspersons, singers, and others who perform on radio and/or TV. It negotiates wages and working conditions much like SAG, including health care and pensions. You can imagine negotiating an issue like equal pay for equal work when dealing with highly paid actors with huge egos. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) represents writers in the motion picture, broadcast, and news media industries. Like actors, writers have issues dealing with pay, benefits, retirement, etc. The more you think about it, the more it will become clear to you that actors and others in the entertainment industry need unions or some other kind of organization to protect them from unfair practices. You can only imagine what treatment actors and others get from independent companies in other countries if they don't have representation. Unions today are gathering momentum in nontraditional professions like nursing and teaching (including college teachers). They are also gaining support in low paying jobs like fast food where the push is on for more equitable wages.

1. What is the general attitude in your class toward labor unions? Are there many union workers in your town? Do you see labor unions gaining strength in the future?

2. One of the primary concerns of traditional labor unions is the treatment of outsourcing. Could the entertainment industry outsource operations? How would this affect SAG and the other unions?

3. The video touches on the era of Senator Joe McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee. How has the government impacted on the growth and stability of labor unions?