"Abbott Elementary" stars rally with SAG-AFTRA in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Striking actors belonging to the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists brought their case to Philadelphia and held a rally at LOVE Park Thursday morning.

The rally comes as members of SAG and the Writers Guild of America are striking against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

"So don't be distracted. Don't be distracted," Sheryl Lee Ralph said. "Know what it is that we are talking about."

Philadelphia-based actors got a star-studded boost from those who play Philadelphians on television.

Abbott Elementary stars Ralph and Lisa Ann Walter rallied with the Philadelphia local SAG-AFTRA actors and local officials, state Sens. Vincent Hughes and Nikil Saval, Reps. Ben Waxman and Tarik Khan and actor David Morse.

"Enough is enough and we demand more," Ralph said. "This is not about your favorite stars on TV or in motion pictures, nuh-uh. Eighty percent of our union is made up of plain, old ordinary people trying to make a living."

"Abbott Elementary," an ABC comedy, depicts the lives of teachers at the titular, fictional school in Philadelphia.

SAG-AFTRA says the main sticking points in reaching a new contract include pay, residuals from streaming services, and the use of artificial intelligence.

In a show of solidarity, six unions joined the nearly 100 actors including the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.

SAG-AFTRA says the main sticking points in reaching a new contract agreement include pay, residuals from streaming services, and the use of artificial intelligence.

"It's a labor issue of very middle-class people who are fighting to make a living in an industry that is taking advantage of them," Nicole Izanec, President of SAG-AFTRA Philadelphia region, said.

"I'm an artist so I support that and you should be paid fairly for what you do no matter what it is," Pamela O'Connor said.

Many of these members say they would be ready to go back to work Friday if they had a fair contract. They say many of them make less than $27,000 a year, the minimum to qualify for health benefits.

"We have concerns with healthcare we have concerns with pension and our day-to-day rate of pay," Gemma McIlhenny said. "It should be appropriate."

McIlhenny is one of the 3,000 local actors impacted by the work stoppage.

The actors went on strike earlier in July following a similar strike by the Writers Guild of America. It's the first time screenwriters and actors have gone on strike at the same time in 60 years.

"It's a bittersweet situation because the people who embark on this noble craft of acting love what they do and all that we really want is just a decent pay for what we do," McIlhenny said.

In a statement, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said the strike "will lead to financial hardship for thousands of people who depend on the industry."

The alliance also says that SAG-AFTRA continues to mischaracterize these negotiations.

Paramount Pictures, one of the studios involved in the negotiations, and CBS News and Stations are both part of Paramount Global. Also, some CBS News and Stations staff are SAG-AFTRA or Writers Guild members; though, their contracts are not affected by the strikes. 

In:
• Hollywood
• Labor Union
• Strike
• Philadelphia