Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass Issues New Statement On SAG-AFTRA And WGA Strikes With More Explicit Case For “Fair And Equitable” Contracts

Ted Johnson
·3 min read
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UPDATE: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a new statement on the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, this time making a more explicit case for labor and their need to get “fair and equitable” contracts.

Bass has avoided overtly taking sides in the work stoppage, at least in the way that some other Southern California politicians have. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who is running for U.S. Senate, walked the picket lines on Monday, and one of his rivals, Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) previously was on the lines with writers.

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Bass released a statement on Friday calling for sides to come to the table. In her new statement, she makes the case for why writers and actors need a minimum level of compensation to make ends meet.

“Los Angeles is experiencing a summer of struggle to make ends meet. In all industries — education, hospitality, goods delivery or entertainment — Angelenos deserve fair contracts,” she said. “Whether you’re a writer who has been on strike for more than 72 days or an actor who has been on strike for 72 hours, wages and health benefits to afford housing, food and the basic necessities to survive should be a minimum requirement in discussions. A strong business sector is essential for our city to become affordable for working families once again. This is a historic inflection point for our city as our entertainment industry experiences economic pressure and business uncertainty. A fair and equitable solution must be reached.”

Governor Gavin Newsom, meanwhile, has so far largely refrained from public comment on the strike, other than to say that he would be willing to intervene if called upon by both sides.

PREVIOUSLY: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the SAG-AFTRA strike a “historic inflection point” that will have an impact on the overall economy, while suggesting that she would be working on a resolution.

Unlike some other Democrats, including those running for U.S. Senate, Bass did not explicitly side with labor or management.

In a statement released by her office, Bass said, “With more than one hundred thousand workers now participating in an unprecedented strike, it is clear the entertainment industry is at a historic inflection point. This affects all of us and is essential to our overall economy. I call upon all sides to come to the table and work around the clock until an equitable agreement is reached. This is an urgent issue that must be resolved and I will be working to make that happen.”

In March, Bass mediated a resolution to the three-day Los Angeles Unified School district strike.

Her statement about the SAG-AFTRA strike was similar to that her office issued at the outset of the WGA strike, in which she said that she encourages “all sides to come together around an agreement that protects our signature industry and the families it supports.”

Governor Gavin Newsom has not yet commented on the SAG-AFTRA strike, but said at the outset of the WGA strike that his office would intervene if called to by both sides. So far, bringing in an outside mediator has failed to resolve the issues in the SAG-AFTRA impasse with the studios. Both sides agreed to a federal mediator earlier this week, but as the contract expired on Wednesday evening, talks broke down.

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