The Actors Union Has Issued a Demand That Striking Members Not Wear Halloween Costumes of Movie or TV Characters. And it's Going Over About as Well as You'd Think.

Oh It's been a couple of weeks now since the Hollywood studios settled their strike with the writers' union. And while I repeat that I support anyone who makes their living typing words into a keyboard since those people are truly the Almighty's greatest gift to humankind and deserve all the earthly treasures one can imagine, it was never really a thing that resonated with your average member of the public. 

After all, it's one thing if a union that actually has a direct impact on your life votes for a work stoppage. If sanitation workers stop picking up the trash, teachers shut down your kids' school or planes start playing Bumper Cars at 30,000 feet because the air traffic controllers quit showing up to work, that'll get your attention. Hell, a dozen years ago the NFL locked out the NFLPA costing America one preseason game, and there was panic in the streets. But the idea that we'll be delayed in seeing our next live action Disney remake or the origin story of an obscure comic book superhero doesn't move the needle in quite the same way. 

So while the writers' strike is settled, the one being conducted by the actors' union SAG-AFTRA, is still ongoing. And it's safe to say they've garnered even less public support. Though to be fair, they're not all A-listers who put asses in seats and make $20 million to get their name above the title. In fact, the majority of working actors aren't making enough to qualify for the union's health insurance. But people who put in 40 hours a week at an unfulfilling job working for a boss they hate and a company that would outsource their job in a nanosecond if it would help the shareholders aren't going to burn a lot of calories working up empathy for some guy who has one line as Burn Victim #2 in Chicago Fire. That's just reality. 

Still, SAG-AFTRA remains on strike. And in order to help boost their leverage and apply more pressure to the studios, they've come up with an ingenius plan:

The Guardian - Spiders are in but Spider-Man is out, after the US actors’ union Sag-Aftra warned its members that dressing up as their favourite film or television characters this Halloween could break strike rules. …

[T]he union issued a guide to its 160,000 members to ensure they don’t “inadvertently break strike rules” on Halloween and “promote [studio] content without a fair contract”.

“Choose costumes inspired by generalised characters and figures (ghost, zombie, spider etc),” the guide advised, adding that members should not “post photos of costumes inspired by struck content on social media”.

Which drew about the reaction you'd expect. From the hilarious:

To the dead serious, like this one from past union president Melissa Gilbert:

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This is one of those “Tell us you’re not serious people without telling us you’re not serious people” situations. And if somehow SAG leader ship convinced themselves, this was going to end the stalemate, they’ve got another thing coming. 

Look, Americans are predisposed towards supporting working people. You don’t have to break much of a sweat to get support when you’re trying to take on giant evil corporate entities. I just simply do not mess with Halloween.Especially Halloween in Hollywood.

TV and movie stars are, by definition, our most attractive, desirable people. That’s how they end up working in show business. So don’t interfere with our right to see them cosplaying as iconic characters we know in love. Some of the finest Halloween moments of the 20th century have involved SAG members dressed in familiar costumes. Imagine the world if we didn’t get to see Kate Beckinsale in some sexy outfit because it violated the union’s edicts. It’s unimaginable. I mean, what are our actors and actresses supposed to do? Go to Spirit Halloween and buy some generic costume like Dr. Seymour Buttz, Proctologist? No Barbies? No Harley Quinns? No Black Widow skin-tight cat suits?

Forget it. The Halloween that we deserve. Way to squander whatever goodwill you might’ve had. As far as I’m concerned, the stray can go on forever.