The Service Employees International Union has been one of the WGA's most ardent non-pro supporters in the strike, encouraging its members to join WGA picket lines in L.A. and Gotham and mounting the "Hey studios, do the write thing" billboard campaign. Below are two blog posts from SEIU rank-and-file-ers who've recently joined WGA events.
Their Struggle is My Struggle by Ursula Epps
I like to watch TV when I have time, shows like “Heroes” and “Bionic Woman,” “Saving Grace” and “Sopranos” reruns. This week, I met some of those writers on the picket line.
I’ve lived in Los Angeles most of my life, and I thought writers like them were very wealthy individuals. But after talking to some of them, I realize they can be unemployed for three to 18 months at a time between writing jobs. I can see why it’s important for them to receive royalties from DVDs and the Internet. The big studios are paying their corporate CEOs millions every year. And they say they don’t have enough money to pay their other employees for what they do? Without writers, these corporations wouldn’t have their profit. They are the ones who write these excellent shows and movies. If we can hold these corporations accountable to make sure employees have health insurance and decent salaries, it would improve the quality of our overall community health. I’m sticking with the writers, and I hope they stick together. Their picket line is our community’s.
Ursula Epps is a registered nurse in Los Angeles and a member of SEIU Local 721. She joined with more than 400 SEIU members to support the Nov. 20 WGA march and rally on Hollywood Boulevard.
Why I Walk by Alba Vasquez
This week, I walked with the writer’s in New York City to show my support for their struggle. I was not alone.
Despite the cold, rainy conditions, the picket lines were flooded with service workers like me, taxi cab drivers, unions, and thousands of New York City workers that know what it’s like to have to strike, picket, and chant just so that they can get work that pays.
I work as a cleaner at Madison Square Garden on the 3 p.m.-11p.m. shift. We don’t get the same kind of media attention as the writers, but these Broadway producers might as well be the corporate executives that we have to negotiate with when our contract runs out. The writers are not asking for perks—they’re asking for the basics. Just like us, they put in long hours doing work that few can do. But when it comes time for their just rewards, they have to battle it out for the crumbs—the smallest pay increases, basic sick and vacation time, and healthcare benefits.
That’s why it is so important for all workers to show our support. Our fight is the same fight, and we must speak together with one voice if we are going to get ahead. Working people are fighting for their survival in this city. We are fighting for the right to pay our rent and live in the place were we work. We might not be able to provide as much for our children as those producers and CEOs at the top, but we will do whatever we must to achieve our own American dream.
I am proud that we were out there supporting the writers last Tuesday, because we have amplified their voices and built more solidarity for our shared struggle. If more workers see the power that we have in your hands, we can change the world.
Alba Vasquez works as a janitor at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and is a member of the Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ. She joined with hundred of fellow SEIU members to support the Writer’s Guild of America strike last Tuesday in New York City.
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