With the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes in full swing, and with several highly anticipated TV shows and films (including Barbenheimer) on the way, you may wonder, “Does watching a movie or TV show during the strike count as crossing the picket line?”
It’s an important question, especially as audiences try to gauge how best to support the striking actors and writers in their fight for a fair contract. How can we appreciate their hard work without hurting their strike efforts? The answer: Listen to what those on strike ask of the public.
As of now, neither SAG-AFTRA nor the WGA have demanded a boycott of movie theaters, TV networks, or streaming services. Writer Neil Gaiman, himself a striking member of the WGA, addressed the question of boycotting and canceling streaming services in a July 12 post on his Tumblr(opens in a new tab), saying:
The WGA has not called for anyone to boycott any of the streamers or to stop their streaming services yet. It’s not “crossing the picket line” to watch something on a network that we are striking against. (“Crossing a picket line” is a very real, specific thing with a real meaning.)
I’ve seen it being discussed, but until the WGA calls for it, I don’t suggest doing it.
Without a direct call from SAG-AFTRA and the WGA to boycott film and TV, watching new movies and shows will not count as crossing the picket line. In the case of these strikes, crossing the picket line would constitute physically passing the line of striking workers in order to join a production, or accepting acting and/or writing work from studios that would undermine the strike.
This article is part of a developing story and will be updated with further announcements from SAG-AFTRA or the WGA.
