The recent success in contract negotiation by the Writers Guild of America underscores the trend of the entertainment industry being a strong point for labor unions. While the rate of unionization has fallen to 10.7 percent nationwide, almost all workers involved in producing television and films are union members. Brian Walton, former executive director the WGA and negotiator for SAG, believes that union membership in the entertainment industry is seen as “a badge of status” that enforces a community spirit. SAG-AFTRA will begin contract negotiations this month, and the union is also months into a strike against video game companies in an effort to establish residual payments for actors based on the success of their games.
See "Hollywood guilds flex their muscle as union influence declines nationwide", David Ng, Los Angeles Times, May 9, 2017