Steven Weber on the SAG-AFTRA Strike: ‘People Who Create the Product Need to Be Paid Accordingly’

With the SAG-AFTRA strike on day 99, actors, writers, IATSE members, and supporters hit up picket lines to show their ongoing support of the labor action. (The studios walked away from negotiations last week, and there’s no return scheduled as of press time.)

A gaggle of picketing regulars—who have been on the lines since the WGA went on strike—were among the crowd, including Rick Gonzalez, Danny Pino, Jeri Ryan, and Steven Weber. 

“There are still issues that have to be addressed,” Weber explains to Give Me My Remote in the video below. “Creatives need to be paid a wage that [reflects] the cost of living. It’s very simple. It’s always been a basic ask of our union and the WGA, DGA, IATSE, United Auto Workers, all these workers across the country. I’m out here to support my tribe, creatives, all the craftspeople and artisans and technicians and carpenters and drivers and caterers and people who provide fuel and electricity and fabric and everything into the production of this industry that is one of America’s biggest and most enjoyable exports.”

For Weber—who has starred on CHICAGO MED the past few years—he’s been in SAG since the early ‘80s, with over 170 credits to his name on IMDB. But he acknowledges the industry has changed in recent years. “The biggest change for me has been the way viewership has evolved,” he says. “And insofar as it concerns what we’re striking for, people need to be compensated accordingly. There’s a new way of seeing the product that is put out by this industry, and so people who create the product need to be paid accordingly.”

“I understand it’s probably difficult, because back in the day when I started, it was like four networks,” he continues. “So you knew when your show was on and you get paid. But now, people are watching it on iPhones and all sorts of interesting contraptions; it’s hard to keep track, but there has to be a way for the workers to be compensated fairly…the people who make the profits off the backs of these workers will still be rich. It has to be fair.”

As for the ongoing negotiations, “for me, I’m concerned about AI,” Weber says. “I’m concerned about [the] predilection [of] corporate mentality to whittle down actual human participation. I think human beings need purpose. And it would be nice to have people show up and actually perform a task for which they’re trained, which they want to do…I mean, let’s use AI to cure cancer. Let’s use AI to find out what dogs are really thinking. Let’s stop trying to replace human beings.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Steven Weber (@actuallystevenweber)

With no immediate end to the strike in sight, Weber also wants to reiterate a point made countless times on the picket lines: “People have a misconception about actors, that they’re all whiny rich celebrities—the vast majority of them are not,” he says. “They work in their chosen field and they deserve to have a decent wage. It’s pretty basic. The shows and movies that people enjoy 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all over the globe, are created by people who really want to be there. Nobody’s forced to work in this industry. They’re doing it out of love. So why don’t we reward them with basic security?”

RELATED:

• PSYCH Vet Kirsten Nelson on ‘Offering Joy’ As a SAG-AFTRA Strike Captain
• CASTLE, COVERT AFFAIRS, and GREY’S ANATOMY Stars Share The Importance of Getting a Fair Contract for SAG-AFTRA
• Actors on the SAG-AFTRA Picket Line Express Cautious Optimism Ahead of Renewed Negotiation
• Writers Share the Importance of Continuing to Support SAG-AFTRA Post-WGA Strike
• WGA and the AMPTP Reach a Tentative Deal
• Shawna Benson Explains How the Benson Sisters’ Twitch Page is Bringing Fans Into the Picketing Process—and Helping the Entertainment Community Fund
• The BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Team Reunites to Support the WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes—And Express Concern About AI
• Joe Henderson Shares How LUCIFER Can Be a Template for Streaming Shows Post-Strike
• Noah Wyle on How Things Have Changed ‘In Every Way’ for Working Actors
• Will Graham on A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN’s Cancellation and Stevie Nicks’ DAISY JONES & THE SIX Love
• Showrunners Express Solidarity Amidst the Ongoing WGA Strike: ‘We’re Sticking Together’
• Alexi Hawley on the Importance of the Highlighting the Solidarity Amongst WGA and SAG-AFTRA: ‘Nobody’s Breaking This Union’
• THE OC Team Reunites to Support the Ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes
• The SUPERNATURAL Team Reunites for ‘the Most Epic’ Reunion Supporting the WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes
• Tracy Spiridakos and Jesse Lee Soffer Explain the Importance of Striking: ‘It’s a Watershed Moment’
• WGA, SAG-AFTRA, and More Picket on Behalf of Support Staff: ‘They Really Are the Heart and Soul of a Writing Staff’
• Danny Pino Explains the Importance of Residuals for the Striking Actors and Writers
• The GLEE Cast and Creative Team Reunite to Support the WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes: ‘We’re At a Turning Point in Our Industry’
• WGAW Latinx Writers and SAG-AFTRA National Latino Committee Unite for an Inspiring Picket: ‘Latinos Know How to Fight a Labor Fight’
• Sera Gamble Highlights the Importance of Writers’ Rooms
• Team SWAT Shows Their Support for the Ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes: ‘We’re Asking for Dignity and Respect’
• The ARROW Writers and Cast Reunite to Picket—and Raise Money for Charity—in Support of WGA and SAG-AFTRA
• SUPERNATURAL Vets Sebastian Roché, Ruth Connell, and Rob Benedict on the Ongoing Strikes: ‘It’s a Fight That We Are Going to Win’
• Day 100 of the WGA Strike: Rob Forman Explains the Stakes for Everyone
• The FAMILY GUY Team on the WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes: Sometimes It’s ‘the Only Way to Get Something Done’
• TTIE Leaders Explain the WGA Strike Stakes for Historically Excluded Writers
• The Teams Behind LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME and FBI: MOST WANTED Explain Why They’re Supporting the WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes: ‘It Is a Fight For Our Lives’
• THE X-FILES: David Duchovny and Rob Bowman on the Importance of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes
• The BONES Team Reunites to Support the Ongoing WGA Strike

Follow @GiveMeMyRemote and @marisaroffman on Twitter for the latest TV news. Connect with other TV fans on GIVE ME MY REMOTE’s official Facebook page or our Instagram.

And be the first to see our exclusive videos by subscribing to our YouTube channel.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases made through links/ads placed on the site.