President Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders Voice Support for SAG-AFTRA Strike

The White House has weighed in on the SAG-AFTRA strike after the guild announced a walkout that will effectively shut down Hollywood.

“The President believes all workers – including actors – deserve fair pay and benefits,” Robyn Patterson, a White House spokesperson, said in a statement obtained by Deadline. “The President supports workers’ right to strike and hopes the parties can reach a mutually beneficial agreement.”

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Previously, Biden commented on the ongoing WGA strike, saying he hoped the writers would get the “fair deal they deserve as soon as possible.”

“This is an iconic, meaningful American industry, and we need the writers and all the workers and everyone involved to tell the stories of our nation, the stories of all of us,” he added.

The president was not the only politician on Capitol Hill to show support. Senator Bernie Sanders also issued his own statement via Twitter. “Wealthy studio executive would rather see workers lose their housing than pay them what they deserve,” the senator said, adding, “Greed, Greed, Greed.”

Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) tweeted her support following the announcement, noting, “Workers should share in the profits they help create. With studios raking in billions each year, it’s unacceptable @sagaftra members are struggling to get by. I stand with the thousands going on strike and urge studios to make a fair deal.”

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) also commented, “It’s wrong that the talented artists of SAG-AFTRA who bring stories to life are barely surviving while studios are thriving. I stand in solidarity with all performers — and all entertainment workers — in demanding fair compensation, stronger benefits and improved working conditions.”

In a video posted to Twitter, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said, “This is personal for me. So many of my constituents, so many actors and stunt performers, so many voiceover artists and broadcast journalists, you’re my friends and you’re my neighbors, and what’s more, your fight is the fight for workers all over the country. This is the fight to make the economy work for people again. The industry is very profitable, and you should share in those profits.”

The Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), which is comprised of 160,000-members, voted to strike yesterday. SAG-AFTRA had been negotiating with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP) for the past month, but the already-extended deadline expired late Wednesday night.

“SAG-AFTRA as national board unanimously voted to issue a strike order against the studios and streamers,” SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said at a Thursday press conference. “The board has determined that union members should withhold their labor, until a fair contract and be achieved a strike is an instrument of last resort, we tried for four weeks to reach a deal with the AMPTP. And unfortunately, they have left us with no alternative.”

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher also delivered a bruising and rallying speech decrying the AMPTP’s “shameful” and “disgusting” treatment toward the union, saying, “You cannot keep being dwindled and marginalized and disrespected and dishonored.”

The action from SAG-AFTRA and WGA — which has been on strike since May 2 — marks the first time since 1960 that both unions have been on strike simultaneously. One of the major points of contention for both groups has been the rapid development and implementation of AI and fears of how it could potentially replace writers and actors.

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