Strikebreakers are getting a break, and a lot of people are not liking it.
The American Federation of Television & Radio Artists has handed down its verdict for defectors who had done struck work during the work stoppage, according to news reports.
In a decidedly less severe move than the Screen Actors Guild, AFTRA will not impose a lifetime ban on strikebreakers. Furthermore, the process of evaluation for punishment will be left up to local AFTRA offices rather than the union’s national board.
“We took as strong an action as we constitutionally could to ensure that strikebreakers be called to account for their actions,” AFTRA’s executive director, Greg Hessinger, told Daily Variety. “Applications are processed locally, so the national board is limited in what it can do.”
Meanwhile, AFTRA’s perceived leniency in dealing with strikebreakers has sparked criticism among many union activists, with members threatening to withhold dues in protest of the board’s decision.
“I am not going to help let people into AFTRA who were scabbing,” one activist was quoted in saying.
Actors from AFTRA and SAG had been striking against the advertising industry since April. SAG passed down its decision two months ago to permanently ban any strikebreakers from being able to join the actors union.
