![illustration of a crowd of Writers Guild members holding picket signs](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/181b63f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2701x1800+299+0/resize/2000x1333!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F87%2F48%2F47ad37324f99a79b0d7de3a219dd%2Fwga-strike-panel-00-header.jpg)
(Ivan Ehlers / For The Times)
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![I'm not a WGA member, but I was welcomed to join the writers' strike picket lines alongside workers from allied professions.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/cc7ad04/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2160x2700+0+0/resize/2000x2500!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0f%2F8e%2F24591f01438790a0c62cc1534f32%2Fwga-strike-panel-01.jpg)
![There's no shortage of funny picket signs, but things get serious on topics like fair pay and a future in the industry.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/bfb7a0a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2160x2700+0+0/resize/2000x2500!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8b%2F5a%2Fef3b6df44c0794b3e5be902ef017%2Fwga-strike-panel-02.jpg)
![The battle between the WGA and studios is reflected in many industries, with workers being squeezed while CEO pay soars.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/dac5837/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2160x2700+0+0/resize/2000x2500!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F85%2F5d%2Fbb9bc02846fcbba957cdeb5f5716%2Fwga-strike-panel-03.jpg)
![Career ladders have been disassembled to keep low-earning writers at the lowest rung. Many may have to leave the industry.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a4ee3ae/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2160x2700+0+0/resize/2000x2500!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd0%2Ffa%2F64c318a14a5583631f5e4b802b85%2Fwga-strike-panel-04.jpg)
![The Teamsters, hospitality workers and bus drivers recognized they're fighting for the same things and showed support.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b189b32/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2160x2700+0+0/resize/2000x2500!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0f%2Fb4%2F7efb3dc945dd9dceee7a857b040a%2Fwga-strike-panel-05a.jpg)
![Other groups joining makes me optimistic for the labor movement. They know they're fighting for future workers.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0368390/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2160x2700+0+0/resize/2000x2500!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1a%2F65%2F8920530c44638b23761ec9ba421e%2Fwga-strike-panel-06.jpg)
Ivan Ehlers is a cartoonist and writer in San Pedro. His work has appeared in the New Yorker and MAD magazine, among other publications. @ivan_ehlers
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