All That Remains frontman Phil Labonte shared the most epic tweet Thursday, which perfectly explained why no one should care about the woes of those involved in the Hollywood industry strikes.
“I know this isn’t the popular opinion but I don’t much care about the strikes in Hollywood,” Labonte wrote to his followers, sharing a screenshot of what Variety says is the minimum salary provided to members of the Writers Guild of America.
According to the stat, writer-producers within WGA make a minimum of $7,412 per week for television shows. For network shows, the average writer reportedly makes at least $259,420 if they are at the minimum wage level. Writers are currently on strike because they believe they don’t make enough.
“I understand that this is affecting a lot of people but a strike is not the solution for an industry that obviously needs to adapt its model. The internet and AI are changing everything at a pace that is going to continue to accelerate,” Labonte told the Daily Caller. “The music industry is living through these changes as well. A strike isn’t going to fix the underlying issues.”
I know this isn’t the popular opinion but I don’t much care about the strikes in Hollywood pic.twitter.com/nj36tHfO1a
— Phil Labonte (@philthatremains) July 20, 2023
Not only do talented writers make more than a living wage when they land a great job, but they provide jobs for countless other experts in the entertainment industry who don’t have the joy of bringing home buckets of cash. (RELATED: The Last Time Hollywood Writers Went On Strike, Trump Got Elected President. Yes, Really)
From my own experience, I can tell you while a writer may be employed year-after-year to write a procedural show, the production team — gaffers, lighting, sound, etc. — will only be paid for the days of filming. They’ll also never see a residual check, despite being the real reason these shows get made.
The Hollywood strikes just seem to be about actors and writers crying because they now have to adjust their expectations for what success really looks like. They can’t just do one thing and live the lifestyle of the rich and famous anymore. It is impossible to have sympathy for these concerns. (RELATED: Streaming Service Raises Prices Despite Having No New Content To Share)
Even if the numbers shared online are not exactly spot-on, the fact that anyone would complain about making an obscenely high day-rate in this economy just shows how out-of-touch they really are.