Dear friend, Happy International Workers Day!

In most other countries May 1st is a celebration of labor—one that in fact traces back to US roots. 

Today, the day after the AFL in Chicago struck for an 8-hour workday in 1886, the Writers Guild of America is going on strike here in LA.

A couple of weeks ago, screenwriting union members voted 98% yes to authorize a strike if their negotiations with studios broke down. They did, and today the strike begins.

What does that mean for the rest of us?

1. This strike is a powerful, necessary tool by entertainment workers to guarantee equitable pay and job availability in an industry that has grown increasingly unequal (mirroring the rest of the United States). Most of the profit from streaming goes to the studio execs and big bank investors, leaving artists with smaller and smaller pieces of the pie.

2. Some of your favorite shows could immediately go off the air—mainly late night talk shows and sketch comedy shows, at first. The 2007-08 writers’ strike cut all programming that year by a quarter.

I’m proud to be running for Congress here at the heart of America’s entertainment industry—the city of Burbank, whose Mayor endorsed this campaign, is the home of many major studios including Disney, ABC Television, and Warner Bros.

When workers strike here in Hollywood, it resonates around the country, setting an example for a labor movement that has seen gains in the past few years.

In Congress I will stand 100% in support of striking workers fighting for a fairer country and fair economy.

In December, when railroad workers voted to strike for middle-class wages and better safety conditions, I was dismayed to see my representative vote to break the strike and force laborers back to work.

In fact, only eight Democrats in Congress voted in solidarity with labor on the matter. It was another disappointment from Congressional progressives who folded when the pressure grew tough.

I would have been the ninth.

I wish the writers best of luck with their negotiations—I know none of them want to be out of work to strike, but they’re fighting for needed change in how the industry distributes its wealth.

And hopefully that change will be visible and carry over into other industries, continuing this burgeoning workers’ movement we’ve seen over the past few years.

In solidarity,

Maebe Pudlo