1980 Strike Button

1980's TV/Theatrical strike proved long and bitter for President William Schallert and National Executive Secretary, Chet Migden, to lead. Main issues were Pay-TV and videocassettes, and its disappointing results gave renewed impetus to discussions of merger between the Guild and AFTRA. Screen Actor magazine observed: "Times have changed. Instead of the movie moguls, we [now] have to contend with multinational corporations; instead of Louis B. Mayer, we have Gulf-Western. They may both be bad employers, but at least L.B. Mayer cared about movies…With union-busting law firms gaining in sophistication — and with employers more willing to spend money destroying unions than paying workers - it's going to be harder to win a good settlement."