President Joe Biden weighed in on the tentative agreement to resolve the SAG-AFTRA strike, pointing to it as an example of how “collective bargaining works.”
In a statement released by the White House this morning, Biden said, “I applaud SAG-AFTRA and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers for working together in good faith towards an agreement that allows our entertainment industry to continue telling the stories of America.
Biden added, “When both sides come to the table to negotiate in earnest they can make businesses stronger and allow workers to secure pay and benefits that help them raise families and retire with dignity. Over the last three years, workers have won historic victories that ensure record pay, record benefits, and an economy that grows from the middle out and bottom up. SAG-AFTRA members will have the final say on this contract, but the sacrifices they’ve made will ensure a better future for them, their families, and all workers who deserve a fair share of the value they helped create.”
The White House commented on the actors’ strike when the walkout began, saying that Biden supported workers’ right to strike and that “all workers – including actors – deserve fair pay and benefits.” That is in line with Biden himself said about writers shortly after their strike began in May.
But the president, in the midst of a reelection campaign, has avoided Los Angeles as part of his campaign fundraising swing. That likely will change soon, with the expectation that he will visit Southern California by the end of the year.