Hollywood execs' alleged war on trees

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     July 18, 2023 The labor movement has been popping off this summer. UPS workers [could strike]( if the Teamsters don't reach a contract agreement with the company by the end of the month. The Writers Guild of America has been striking since May, and last week, the actors' union SAG-AFTRA joined them. Much of Hollywood and TV production has ground to a halt, and soon, so could many of our delivery services. One of the biggest sticking points in negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the entertainment industry in collective bargaining agreements: [artificial intelligence](. SAG-AFTRA wants to protect background actors, who are among Hollywood's lowest-paid performers, from having their likenesses digitally recreated without consent and fair compensation. In other words, the actors' union wants the people who make up the crowds in film and TV to remain real people, not facsimiles. The union says that industry executives "[failed to address many vital concerns](" about AI. You can read a full breakdown of the union's proposals and the industry's counters [here](. As the strike ramps up, industry executives are apparently getting more hostile. Universal Pictures [reportedly removed most of the canopy]( from a row of ficus trees shading picketers from the blazing Los Angeles sun. Safety from extreme heat is a [labor issue](. Many [gardening]( [sources]( say the best time to prune a ficus is winter—and that the worst time is summer—but the studio claimed in a statement to the [New York Post]( that it always trims the trees at this time of year. Hell of a coincidence, isn't it? —Abigail Weinberg Advertisement [Christopher Miller's stories from the warzone in Ukraine]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [Trump Says He Could Soon Be Arrested and Indicted in January 6 Case]( "I am a TARGET" BY DAN FRIEDMAN SPONSORED POST     [Sponsored Content]( [How Can We Protect Reproductive Freedom in the United States?]( Since the repeal of Roe, 14 states now ban most abortions. THIS CONTENT WAS PAID FOR AND SPONSORED BY [IPAS](. [Trending] [Missouri Republicans are going to absurd lengths to stop voters from having their say on abortion]( BY MADISON PAULY   [House Democrats prepare to censure George Santos]( BY ARIANNA COGHILL   [No Labels says it's not a political party. But it's setting up state parties.]( BY DAVID CORN   [When this meteorologist talked about climate change, he received death threats]( BY OLIVER MILMAN Advertisement [inside story of the ongoing international conflict]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [In West Wendover, Nevada, Anything Goes—Except Planned Parenthood]( This purple border town is a microcosm of abortion politics in the West. BY STEPHANIE MENCIMER [Fiercely Independent] Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755