Philadelphia Dozens of members of Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) held a rally at Love Park in Philadelphia July 20.  They were joined by an equal number of Philadelphia area unionists, including members of the Writers Guild (WGA) who are also o

Veteran actor David Morse and local elected officials and labor leaders spoke at the rally. Morse, whose work includes “The Green Mile,” Philadelphia-shot “12 Monkeys,” and “Hack,” about a Philadelphia taxi driver, told the crowd: “The studios want to make us poorer and themselves richer. There was always an excuse as to why they couldn’t make our lives better. AI is the excuse now.”

Nicole Izanec, president of SAG-AFTRA Philadelphia, noted that most members of the local union are, “working to be middle class; the ones who are middle class are working to keep it.” She addressed a key strike issue: health insurance. “Qualifying for health care every year isn’t a given by any means. Union members must make at least $26,470 from their acting work in a given year to be eligible for coverage.”