AOC blasts ‘insatiable’ CEOs’ private jets on SAG-AFTRA picket line

NEW YORK — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) joined the actors and writers unions on a picket line in Manhattan Monday, lending her own considerable star power to the fight for more-favorable contracts with movie studios.

“How many private jets does David Zaslav need?” Ocasio-Cortez said, referring to the Warner Bros. Discovery CEO, outside of the company’s headquarters.

“For real, how many private jets do these CEOs need? It is insatiable. It is unacceptable. I do not know how any person can say I need another $100 million before another person can have health care.”

The Writers Guild of America has been on strike since May 2 demanding better pay and benefits. The actors union, SAG-AFTRA, just called their own strike on July 14. Democratic politicians have backed them, with President Joe Biden and progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), among others, issuing statements in support of the striking workers.

One major sticking point has been the use of artificial intelligence in writing scripts. But Ocasio-Cortez hammered home the essential and irreplaceable nature of the writers’ work.

“The only way we can bust this up is by giving the people in charge a reality check by reminding them that if they leave the job, life goes on. But if we leave the job, everything comes to a halt,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “And all of this will grind to a halt and the money train will end for them if labor and actors and writers and everybody, all workers, aren’t respected and paid with dignity.”

As one of the most progressive members of Congress, Ocasio-Cortez has made solidarity with labor unions a pillar of her political brand.

She recently joined a rally with the Teamsters earlier this month on Long Island, as they threatened to strike if a contract can’t be reached with UPS by Aug. 1. Though Ocasio-Cortez received some backlash from other socialists for voting to block a December 2022 strike by Railroad Workers United, She defended the vote as following the will of the rank and file members.

“We are in a hot labor summer right now,” Ocasio-Cortez said, referring to the looming Teamsters strike, and other actions that have put Biden and the White House in a difficult spot.

Asked if Congress should do anything about the actors’ and writers’ contract negotiations, Ocasio-Cortez said she was just there for her constituents. “If SAG-AFTRA, if WGA calls on Congress then I think that’s something that should absolutely be considered,” she said. “But until then, we’ve got to get out of their way, and let the workers do their thing.”

The strikes have particular relevance to Ocasio-Cortez’s 14th Congressional District, which includes a number of soundstages and film studios. She also represents a high concentration of members of the unions. The Queens neighborhood of Astoria in her district has been dubbed “Actoria” for the number of performers living there.

But she said she hasn’t heard from the studios. “I hear a lot from the workers and actors.”

Warner Bros. Discovery did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios, has said the strike will cause financial hardship for other workers who depend on the industry.

Ocasio–Cortez walked the picket line for about 45 minutes. The block-long line of well over a hundred people also passed in front of the Manhattan office of Netflix.

Actor F. Murray Abraham, who was nominated for an Emmy for his role as the grandfather on season two of “The White Lotus,” also joined the picket line Monday. “Without a union, there is no middle class. And without a middle class, there is no democracy. Unions are good for America,” he said.

Abraham brushed off a question about whether it was odd for him to see Ocasio-Cortez getting all the media attention at the picket. “No! No. We’re all union people. I want to represent. Solidarity. Unity,” he said. “My grandfather from Italy helped form the miners union in the early part of the last century. I’m a union man from way back.”

Ocasio-Cortez’s appearance came after the simultaneous opening of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” led to one of the biggest weekends for movies in history. Ocasio-Cortez herself was part of that fandom.

“I did watch Barbie this weekend. I saw it in Astoria. I thought it was great. Loved it. And it’s a union production. So what more could you ask for?”