Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) flaunted his Hollywood bona fides on Monday as he picketed alongside SAG-AFTRA actors and WGA writers as both unions strike over contract disputes.
The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists voted unanimously on Friday to recommend a strike after a turbulent last week of talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents major studios and streamers such as Amazon, Apple, Disney, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, and Warner Bros. Discovery. The Writers Guild of America announced a strike over similar concerns back in May, including a desire for an increase in streaming residuals, higher pay, and better protections against artificial intelligence.
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Schiff and Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA's chief negotiator in talks with the AMPTP, were seen on the picket lines outside of Netflix's corporate headquarters in Hollywood.
"All too many people back in the Congress think that everyone who works in this industry is some multimillionaire celebrity," Schiff told reporters while picketing on Monday, "when the reality is that these are folks who are just trying to put bread on the table, keep a roof over their head, provide for their family, work enough so that they can qualify for health insurance. They are hard-working people, and the fight of workers in this industry is really the same fight of workers all over the country."
Schiff represents the Burbank, Glendale, and Hollywood areas of Los Angeles, where most of the film and television studios are based, in the House, though the former Intelligence Committee chairman has been traveling outside his congressional district since launching his bid to fill retiring Sen. Dianne Feinstein's (D-CA) seat next year.
"I'm deeply concerned about the impact [of this strike] on the broader community. This is my district. These are my constituents," the House Democrat said later Monday. "The studios need to come to the table and offer a fair contract with good wages and good working conditions so that this can be resolved."
The California lawmaker previously marched with members of the writer's union in May before the actors guild voted to join them on the picket lines.
"I don't think any generation of writers has seen such a dramatic change in the industry," he said at the time. "That change has made a lot more content possible. It's made it possible for us to see it in our homes, to get through a pandemic, but it's also made it possible to really squeeze them in terms of their wages and income."
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Schiff also showcased his Hollywood ties on Monday when his campaign sent out a fundraising email featuring Star Wars actor Mark Hamill touting his support for the California lawmaker's Senate bid, a race he has dominated in terms of both financials and polling.
“Over the last six years, our democracy has been tested like never before. And in those dark times, Adam gave me hope,” an email sent from Schiff’s Senate campaign and signed by Hamill read. “Hope that our democracy would survive. Hope that not only would we get through this, but that we would come out on the other side and our democracy could be strong again."