Teamsters, IATSE, WGA West and SAG-AFTRA joined forces today to distribute boxes of food and other supplies to industrial workers whose lives have been upended by the strikes that have shut down most production.
Volunteers hosted the drive-thru distribution event at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Santa Clarita, handing out boxes of groceries, dry goods, fruits and vegetables, baby formula, diapers and other essential items.
Organizers noted that the current SAG-AFTRA strike and the previous WGA strike have affected people far beyond union members – workers in related jobs in the entertainment industry who have lost their livelihoods due to ongoing production shutdowns.
“People are starting to understand that this is solidarity, not charity,” Armando Olivas of Labor Community Services, the charitable arm of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, told ABC7. “They’ve been in the unions for years, they pay dues…So it’s like we want to help you.”
Lindsay Dougherty, head of Teamsters Local 399, told the station that the event was a “good example” that “good things happened during the strike, and it’s solidarity between unions… I think everyone will in the future realize that we must be careful of each other and help each other.”
This is the latest example of unions coming together to help those in need. Earlier this week, the Union Solidarity Coalition, WGA West, SAG-AFTRA, DGA and IATSE announced that they had raised more than $500,000 to support Teamsters and other crew members affected by the work stoppage.
City News Service contributed to this report.
Source: Deadline
Joseph Fearn is an entertainment and television aficionado who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for what’s hot in the world of TV, Joseph keeps his readers informed about the latest trends and must-see shows.
