AFL-CIO joins Anti-Digital Theft campaign
Forget merger. (OK, don’t forget it, just put it to the side for a moment.)
This is the critical battlefield right now. And somebody ought to remind these guys, it’s not “piracy,” it’s stealing.
AFL-CIO EXECUTIVE COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY SUPPORTS ANTI-PIRACY MEASURES
ORLANDO, Mar. 2 – The AFL-CIO Executive Council, at its meeting today in Orlando, unanimously adopted a statement on the subject of the theft of intellectual property. Submitted to the Council by the Department of Professional Employees on behalf of the entertainment unions and guilds affiliated with the AFL-CIO, the statement offers a detailed analysis of the harm done to U.S. workers by piracy. The statement said, in part, “Motion pictures, television, sound recordings and other entertainment are a vibrant part of the U.S. economy. They yield one of its few remaining trade surpluses. The online theft of copyrighted works and the sale of illegal CDs and DVDs threaten the vitality of U.S. entertainment and thus its working people.”
IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb, a member of the AFL-CIO Executive Council, said “This is a strong statement of support from the AFL-CIO in our fight against the theft of product upon which the members of the entertainment industry unions and guilds depend. We will continue to pursue every avenue we can to stop digital theft.”
“While we support increased broadband access for all Americans, it’s important to remember that downloading illegal content is the same as walking into a record or book store and stealing a CD or DVD,” said AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon, who is also a member of the AFL-CIO Executive Council. “Recording artists, for example, earn more than 90% of their income through the physical and digital download sales of their albums, and stealing their work – as well as that of actors, singers, dancers and other professional talent – seriously threatens their ability to earn a living and support their families. Moreover, the online theft of copyrighted – and uniquely American – material severely depresses the domestic job market by making it difficult for our members to find new work and continue producing the creative works that enrich our culture and our economy.”
SAG President Ken Howard said, “I’m grateful to AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka and members of the executive council for their resounding approval of the resolution against digital theft. Today’s action provides important support to the tens of thousands of men and women in the entertainment industry whose jobs are threatened by illegal duplication and download of movies and television shows.”
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka issued the following statement: “The AFL-CIO fully supports entertainment workers, and stands behind them in the fight against the theft of the products they work on and create.”
Paul Almeida, president of the AFL-CIO Department of Professional Employees, who put forward the statement to the AFL-CIO Executive Council, said, “It’s critical for all union members to support any actions possible in the fight against piracy.”