THIS TIME ON CODE WACK!
What’s the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike about and what’s at stake for actors? Plus, what could the ongoing strike mean for their health care?
To find out, we spoke to Pat Finn, a Los Angeles-based actor who has worked in Hollywood for more than 25 years. He’s appeared in such shows as Seinfeld, Friends, Drew Carey, and Murphy Brown and in movies such as It’s Complicated opposite Meryl Streep.
SHOW NOTES
WE DISCUSS
What’s been your experience with strikes?
“…I’ve always worked, and I worked in factories, and then I was a Teamster when I worked in a 7-Up factory and on a 7-Up truck. So I was a part of a strike as a teenager. Now they’re a little more aggressive on the Teamster front and there’s more tire irons. But I started to understand the necessity of it, and, and that was maybe something that really helped me or educated me towards the process of going through it with SAG and AFTRA.
“So I’ve been through it before with SAG and I’ll be honest, I’m not a fan of strikes. I don’t think anybody really is. Actors tend to be very dramatic. ‘Let’s go on strike…. ‘I have an outfit and everything’… But I think there’s a perception… we all make a million dollars…and it’s not the case. And certainly there are people, oh my gosh, that do extremely well. Like any profession. And where this gets a little bit different is it’s very lopsided.
“And I think of SAG, which there’s 160,000 members, 87% make $26,000 or less in a very expensive city…” – Pat Finn
How is the strike affecting you right now, and your work?
“It’s taking somebody’s livelihood and almost like the muscle that you have as an actor or as an improviser or a comedian, you know, you like to play. That’s part of what you do. Everybody wants to work and us included. So, you know, we get to a point where you start going, ‘okay, when could this end?’ You know, when do the doors open back up and when can I start auditioning again? When can I work again?” – Pat Finn
Is the strike impacting your health insurance – or could it?
“It certainly could, and that’s scary. I was lucky enough to have insurance. My daughter, who’s totally fine now, she’s 26 and she had brain surgery and you know, that’s something that we would’ve had to sell the house, sell the car, sell everything we had just to cover that. It’s just like so ridiculous that I just happened to work enough that I got insurance, so this could happen. ’cause you couldn’t have foreseen something like that by any means. But yeah, it’s important.
And I’ve always, you know, my one daughter at 26, she’s off our plan. So my one daughter was like, well, ‘I was just going to go a few months without it.’ And I was like, ‘look, we’ve got to find a way to get you to get it, and I’ll help you.’ And she goes, ‘but I’m so healthy’ and I said, ‘well, so was your sister when that happened.’
“You don’t know, gosh, I hope you’re healthy forever and you just wasted money on insurance, <laugh>.” – Pat Finn
Helpful Links
Hollywood’s A-List Health Insurance Is Jeopardized by the Labor Strikes, Kaiser Family Foundation
SAG-AFTRA Position on AI, SAG-AFTRA
Why are Hollywood actors on strike? CBS News
SAG-AFTRA Health Plan Extends Coverage For Members Who Lost Work Due To WGA Strike, Deadline
Why celebrities are striking: The average pay for actors may surprise you, CNN
Episode Transcript
Read the full episode transcript.
Biography: Pat Finn
Pat Finn grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He was accepted to The Second City theater where he made it to the Mainstage. He was then chosen as the costar for a CBS sitcom.
Pat moved to Hollywood and has been a working actor for over 27 years.
He has been seen in such shows as Seinfeld, Friends, Curb, Bernie Mac, as well as securing roles in Drew Carey, Ed, Murphy Brown and The Middle. Pat has been in over 200 commercials and many movies including It’s Complicated opposite Meryl Streep.
Pat lives in Los Angeles with his wife of 34 years and 3 children.
Get Involved / Take Action
Subscribe to Code WACK! to catch all our weekly podcast episodes.
Subscribe to HEAL California for health policy news with a California focus
Join Healthy California Now – a coalition working toward a California single-payer system. Individual and organizational memberships available.
Join the CalCare Campaign to win single-payer in California, sponsored by National Nurses United/California Nurses Association.
Subscribe
Apple Google Amazon Spotify Subscribe
Podcasts Podcasts Music for emails
Or wherever you find your favorite podcasts!
You can also find us on ProgressiveVoices.com and NurseTalk Media.
This podcast is powered by HEAL California,
uplifting the voices of those fighting for healthcare justice.
____________________________________________________________________________
HEAL California is an independent news and information hub focused on the Medicare for All movement. We highlight the on-going injustices of our broken healthcare system and amplify the voices of those who are most impacted by it, with non-partisan news, views, podcasts and videos,
Our Podcasts shine a light on the failures of America’s healthcare system, while explaining how Medicare for All could help.
Our Media page offers connections to experts and additional resources including links to legislation and studies.
Keep up with the Medicare for All movement!
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Subscribe for email updates, action alerts and more!