BURBANK, Calif. – On Wednesday, drivers heading along W Alameda Avenue past the Walt Disney Lot were met with chanting picketters, music and barking dogs. As the SAG-AFTRA strike has elapsed the 100 day mark, strike captains have been looking for ways to boost morale among picketers.
Strike captains have organized special pickets to try to keep morale high. Strike Captain Elyssa Phillips shared why the special pickets started: “We try and do different fun ideas just to help keep morale going and keep everyone feeling good.”
Wednesday’s special picket was a tribute to all strike pups and was hosted at the Walt Disney lot. “We’re a great lot for people to bring their dogs. So we thought, why not celebrate our picket pups for a day,” Phillips said.
Organizers coined the 104th day of picketing as The Dog Days of the Strike. Michelle C. Bonilla, another strike captain at the Disney lot, said, “it’s a morale booster in and of itself. It engages our members in different ways, with the dogs and other animals we get to meet.” SAG-AFTRA members and supporters were encouraged to come out and walk with their pups and they didn’t disappoint.
Picketers came out in full force with their four-legged friends. Graham Husted and his doodle, Chewie, have been joining the picket lines since July. Today, Chewie came with a fresh new look as a giraffe-a-doodle, bringing smiles to strikers’ faces.
Husted, a writer and actor, said, “the experience, it can be draining. It can be demoralizing at times.”
Husted said that these special pickets help to ease these woes: “Having the little distraction of a fun, happy-go-lucky pup is nice. Who doesn’t love a puppy?”
Lauren Aparicio joined the picket for the first time today after the extra encouragement from the special picket, she said. The actor, who was accompanied by her maltese-yorkie, Bohdi, said, “obviously, our animals give us dopamine and serotonin and all the good happiness,” adding, “so why wouldn’t I want to bring out my dog and see a bunch of other dogs?”
But puppy love isn’t the only reason why Aparicio finally made it out to a lot. “We are at a really crucial time with negotiations,” she said. “We need to come out and support and give them the energy.”
Regardless of whether you’re a SAG-AFTRA or WGA member, support is still encouraged and welcomed. Kristen Karaliunas, a non-union worker in the industry, has been joining picket lines with her dog ,Betty, since July, often picketing at the Fox Lot in Los Angeles.
Karaliunas and Betty made their way out to the Disney Lot for the Dog Days Picket. She said that she loves letting Betty socialize: “it’s nice to bring her and help boost morale.”
Being a part of industry support staff, Karaliunas said, “being on strike is hard, being support staff that supports those on strike is hard, but standing with other folks is so important.” She said that she and Betty will continue to show up for them.
These special strikes haven’t been met with positive responses from everyone though. Strike Captain Jule Bruff recalled some of the backlash.
“We’ve definitely heard some push back about it,” she said. “Some people are saying, you guys are having too much fun. This is serious,” but according to Bruff, having fun is exactly the point.
“Joy is a form of resistance. We’re not going to let you ruin our days,” she said.
Helping to make strikers and supporters feel welcomed to join the line is a crucial element of Jules’ job: “We try to have host energy and make people feel like, thank you for welcoming me to be here,” she said. These special picket days are a major component of keeping energy and morale high as “picketing is a form of negotiation,” said Bruff.
As the strike continues and negotiations ensue, the strike captains at the Walt Disney Lot have no plans of halting their pickets.