Big Hollywood studios are trying to paint workers as greedy for refusing to be exploited

The simultaneous strikes by movie and television writers and movie and television actors have one big thing in common: Both of their unions have been negotiating—and failed to reach an agreement—with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The big studios are the common thread here. However, the big studios and their multimillionaire executives have launched a colossal PR campaign to blame ‘greedy’ writers and actors for daring to ask that the extremely profitable studios pay them a little better and don’t use artificial intelligence to plagiarize their work and steal their images in a bid to replace them within the next few years.

“Rather than continuing to negotiate, SAG-AFTRA has put us on a course that will deepen the financial hardship for thousands who depend on the industry for their livelihoods,” the AMPTP said in a statement as the actors union launched its strike. As if SAG-AFTRA members are not themselves among the thousands who depend on the industry for their livelihoods. As if the AMPTP were not a party to negotiations that had dragged on past the original deadline and ultimately broken down.