IATSE Strike and Pop Culture

Millennials and Generation Z have seen few major strikes in their lifetimes. These young people may remember seeing headlines about airline and car manufacturing strikes over the years, but for the vast majority of them, union strikes likely seemed to be something distant-- something that did not affect their day to day lives. 

But that may change soon.

A few days ago, nearly 99% of the 60,000 member strong union “International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees”  or the (“IATSE”), voted to authorize a strike. The IATSE represents workers in television and film production across the country. If the IATSE strike moves forward, film and tv production will come to a screeching halt.

This “Hollywood Strike'' is unique-- its proximity and placement within pop culture is unlike other strikes we’ve seen in the 21st century. TV and film content are consumed in excess, by almost everyone. There are an estimated 121 million TVs in homes across the United States and over 70 percent of people ages 13-39 subscribe to at least one streaming service. Should an IATSE strike occur, thus halting the production and distribution of new content, the lives of millions may be impacted. The effects of this strike will likely be felt in every American home.

Those of us interested in labor relations should pay close attention to the response of Millennials and Gen Zer’s. These groups are characterized as being the most liberal to date, and Union support is, at least on paper, a center tenet of the liberal identity. As such, it is safe to assume that the plight and subsequent strike of IATSE members would be met by young people with sympathy and support. 

However, when the strike halts the production of their favorite content, will young people still support this union and sympathize with the workers? In other words, when young people nationwide find their lives impacted by a Hollywood strike, will their support waiver?  Consider their response to COVID-19,  where there was widespread frustration regarding the supply chain shortages; meanwhile, the larger issue of people suffering worldwide due to the virus became less central. In this case, we saw that the inconvenience of product shortages and restaurant closures outweighed their pro-union stance.

The IATSE strike may be the first real test of young people’s view on unions. Are they really willing to sacrifice their luxuries in support of the union? We will just have to wait and see.