Who are 'scabs'? Nonunion writers and actors working amid the strikes
Amid a historic double strike in Hollywood, picketing entertainers and their supporters have turned a critical eye on a small group of nonunion members who are still on the job, derisively called "scabs" by some.
When the Writers Guild of America went on strike in May and many members of its screen actor sister union followed suit two months later, virtually all U.S. television shows and films halted production. Some on-screen talent, including soap opera actors and broadcast journalists, have not had to strike, but have faced criticism for working when thousands of their colleagues are forgoing paychecks.
Other writers and actors have exercised their legal right to partially sever ties with WGA and SAG-AFTRA, allowing them to not participate in strikes and work on both union and nonunion projects, a status called "financial core" or "fi-core" that the unions strongly discourage. Here's why union members are calling some fi-core members scabs and the benefits and drawbacks of being an entertainer in union limbo.
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What does it mean to be a scab?
Scab is a derogatory term for someone who leaves or declines to join a labor union, freeing them to work during a strike. Union members say scabs "cross the picket line" when they do this because they undermine the striking workers' bargaining power.
Workers might leave a union or decide not to join for a variety of reasons. They might disagree with the union's decisions or not be able to afford to pay the membership dues. They might want the flexibility to work during a strike or to accept a nonunion gig.
On social media, supporters of the strikes have been quick to name and shame individuals they suspect are scabs.
Internet comedian Collin Everett said on TikTok that he didn't care about being labeled a scab after he announced that he was offered his own TV show during the strike, but he walked back his comments following widespread backlash.
"I fully stand with the unions," he said in an apology video. "Taking union jobs from union workers is not my intent."
"I'm not sure why everyone online thinks that they speak for Hollywood. I was announcing a couple projects, and people took it as automatic slights towards the unions striking," Everett said in a statement. "I should not have spoken on the topic at all because there is clearly so much I did not know, but I also think that the outrage towards me online is silly and misdirected."
"Haunted Mansion" director Justin Simien was wrongly accused of scabbing on social media after he was seen at the movie's Disneyland premiere, continuing to work as a member of the Directors Guild of America - a union that is not on strike.
Some actors are wary of working even on projects their union allows them to.
Viola Davis told Deadline she decided not to star in the upcoming action thriller "G20," even though SAG-AFTRA has allowed the production to continue during the walkout because the studio it's affiliated with is not one of the production companies the union is striking against. (The union is, however, striking against the project's distributor, Amazon Studios. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post. The Post's interim CEO, Patty Stonesifer, sits on Amazon's board.)
"I love this movie, but I do not feel that it would be appropriate for this production to move forward during the strike," Davis said.
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What is financial core?
Financial core is the official term for a status nonunion members can choose, allowing them to pay smaller dues, work on both union and nonunion projects, and continue working during strikes. Not all scabs are fi-core, but some guild writers, actors and directors consider members of the financial core to be scabs, SAG-AFTRA's website says.
Labor unions are legally required to have financial core options based on the Supreme Court's 1963 ruling in National Labor Relations Board v. General Motors Corp.
But there's a trade-off for these workers the unions call "fee paying non-members." WGA and SAG-AFTRA's websites states that they can't use the union's legal representation if contracts with their employers go awry, can't attend union meetings, vote in union elections or hold office, and aren't guaranteed the same pay or benefits that union members collectively bargained for.
They also lack the same protections as union members when they work in nonunion productions, which guild members warn can lead to a "race to the bottom" as writers and actors compete for work and pay.
And not least importantly, they risk becoming scabs in the eyes of Hollywood union members.
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Which writers and actors are fi-core?
Only a few dozen writers and a few thousand actors appear to have gone fi-core since the unions were created. SAG-AFTRA doesn't disclose who is in its fi-core, but in 2019, union board member Shaan Sharma wrote that about 3,000 actors were official fi-core members.
The WGA, on the other hand, publicly names members who have gone fi-core on its West and East division websites.
"These writers have chosen to shirk the responsibilities of following working rules and strike rules that are necessary for a union to bring collective action to bear for the benefit of the entire membership," the union writes.
A handful on the fi-core list are A-list celebrities.
George Lucas, best known for creating the Star Wars films, left the WGA and the Directors Guild of America in 1981 after the latter fined him for breaking a guild requirement to name the director, in this case Irvin Kershner, in the opening credits of "The Empire Strikes Back," Variety reported.
George Clooney quietly left the WGA just before the start of the last writers strike in 2007, Variety wrote, because he disagreed with the guild's decision to not guarantee him an on-screen writing credit for the 2008 football movie "Leatherheads."
Tyler Perry went fi-core after multiple issues with the WGA in 2008 that left him writing full scripts by himself. He said in an interview with Level that the nonunion writers he hired for several shows weren't up to par, and when he replaced them with union writers, the guild members' work needed too many rewrites.
Sylvester Stallone - who told Newsweek in May that he sides with writers during their strike - has been a fi-core member since 2019.
Most fi-core members in the WGA are much less famous, including some writers who pen daytime soap operas. Shows such as "The Bold and the Beautiful," "Days of Our Lives" and "General Hospital" need to churn out scripts to maintain their schedule, airing multiple days a week. So as unionized soap writers go on strike, writers rooms are staffed with nonunion and fi-core writers. None of the listed fi-core members could be reached for comment.
Fi-core status doesn't necessarily mean someone is crossing the picket line or otherwise undermining the strike. They might even support it. George and Amal Clooney have donated at least $1 million to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation to assist striking actors.
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Are all currently working writers and actors scabs?
The short answer is no.
The union has allowed certain performers, such as Broadway actors, reality stars, broadcast reporters and some podcasters and influencers, to work during the strike because they operate under approved contracts that aren't part of the dispute with studios. SAG-AFTRA has also allowed more than 200 shows and movies to keep filming or casting, provided they accept the union's conditions and are deemed independent of struck Hollywood studios.
However, some writers and actors believe that even those working with the union's blessing are undermining the strike, which is intended to pressure studios into accepting their demands for more favorable wages and working conditions.
Comedian Sarah Silverman was among those baffled by the growing number of independent projects her union has allowed to continue filming.
"Please, explain to me why I shouldn't be angry," she said in an Instagram video last month. "We should see every movie star out there striking along, because you have insurance because of your union and you get residuals because of your union. All of these things you get because of your union and you can't stand with your union?"
SAG-AFTRA has defended its choices in exempting certain productions from the strike, stating that all of them have agreed to the union's contract terms and operate separately from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents more than 350 production studios the union is striking against.
"The union thoroughly vets and approves each and every project seeking an Interim Agreement," the guild's committee wrote in a statement July 30. "If the AMPTP continues to refuse to bargain, our strategy denies them the ability to freely make their own original productions, allowing everyone other than the AMPTP to produce content with our members."
"We believe the leverage created by increasing competitive pressure on the AMPTP and denying them what they want most will force them back to the table and help bring this strike to an end," the statement continued.
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Can fi-core actors and writers rejoin their unions?
Actors in the financial core who want to rejoin the union must submit a petition, but reinstatement isn't guaranteed. If successful, actors will also have financial obligations, according to SAG-AFTRA's website.
The WGA is less forgiving: "The Council's policy has long been to deny these requests. If members feel they can choose fi-core status and then return, there is less incentive to stay part of the Guild membership when the going gets tough," the writers guild website states.
Or as the WGA puts it on another webpage: "Fi-core is forever."
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