"Another key we have here… is that they actually call themselves guilds, which is a very telling sign, that you don't want to be called a union. At the end of the day, they ended up being a bit more conservative and not really supporting other strikes," Regev says.
That same year, disillusioned movie workers formed the Conference of Studio Unions, led by pugnacious former boxer and studio painter Herb Sorrell."I am not smart… I am just a dumb painter," Oct. 10, 1945: After mass arrests, four picketers stand in front of a line of policemen. A traffic signal is on each side of the street.Fed up with IATSE and the studios' treatment of their workers, CSU called a strike on March 12, 1945.
Oct. 13, 1945: Under the watchful eye of police officers, studio workers are shown passing through the picket line at RKO Pathe Studio in Culver City, where mass picketing began today. Approximately 25 employees went through the picket line.However, many actors, including Ronald Reagan did cross the lines. The future president painted a grim picture of union unrest."Homes and cars were bombed.
Studio heads weren't having nearly as much fun as some of their employees. On Oct. 29, 1945, the studios, IATSE and the CSU struck an agreement. All sides proclaimed victory. reported on beatings, clubbings, smashed windows, slashed tires, home break-ins and Molotov cocktails. Picketers were arrested en masse and carted off to local jails.