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I think what confuses me is the chicken and the egg problem - I wonder how did Unions in Holywood become so powerful, that they could command companies to hire

I think what confuses me is the chicken and the egg problem - I wonder how did Unions in Holywood become so powerful, that they could command companies to hire only unionized employees.

jogjayr 8y ago
The SAG's own history page is pretty vague about why big stars signed on: "Protests against provisions in FDR’s National Recovery Administration's proposed Motion Picture Code of Fair Competition result in mass exodus of stars from Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in early October. Major stars like Robert Montgomery, Fredric March, James Cagney, Ann Harding, Eddie Cantor and Groucho Marx join SAG." [1] I think the amount of control studios exerted over even big names was a factor. Stars did well financially but were still treated as disposable and second-class. They were signed to multi-year, exclusive contracts that had onerous restrictions. 1. https://www.sagaftra.org/about/our-history/1930s https://www.sagaftra.org/about/our-history/1930s