BLOOMINGTON — Labor strikes are taking place well beyond Hollywood.
While writers and actors are pushing for what they say is fair compensation, movie and TV productions have been shut down.
Other union strikes could soon make it harder to get your deliveries on time or take a vacation.
The UPS Teamsters Union and American Airlines flight attendants could vote in the coming weeks to strike as well.
This comes as workers at a Starbucks in Bloomington are working to unionize. Stefanie Sharp is leading the effort to unionize.
Sharp says a typical day at the store she works at is always busy and oftentimes understaffed.
“We are one of the highest volume stores in the state of Indiana,” Sharp said. “We just want to be able to have a livable wage. They’ve been cutting a lot of hours despite us being one of the highest volume stores.”
Sharp’s store isn’t the only one trying to unionize in Indiana.
Two other stores in other parts of the state are leading the same effort. It comes as 335 other stores across the country are already unionized, according to Starbucks Workers United’s website.
"A lot of people have fallen underneath the benefits threshold,” Sharp said. “So, a lot of people are constantly worrying we are going to lose our healthcare, let alone be able to pay rent."
The trend of employees fighting for a higher wage and better benefits is on the rise. One expert WRTV spoke with says it has to do with how the economy has changed.
"As long as there are lots of jobs out there, people realize their services are worth more and they can demand more,” Kenneth Dau-Schmidt, Professor of Labor and Employment Law at Indiana University, said. “They also aren't as afraid to lose their job, so they are ready and willing to organize. "
Dau-Schmidt says the economy has also changed, with service industry jobs being more prevalent than ever before. This trend comes as several manufacturing jobs have been moved overseas where labor is cheaper.
“Services can't be moved overseas,” Dau-Schmidt said. “People that provide the services here, they have some bargaining power with respect to their employers."
That bargaining power is something employees like Sharp hope more people in the service industry will take advantage of.
"We are at a point in labor history where unions have been dead for decades. This is the beginning of a new age I believe," Sharp said.
Employees at the Bloomington store are asking for a $20 an hour minimum wage and guaranteed hours for full-time employees.
They are expected to vote on unionizing sometime next month.
As for the strikes that could impact a wide range of industries, UPS says talks about pay and benefits are set to resume next week with the Teamsters Union.
American Airlines flight attendants are fighting for rights that are more in-line with what United, American and Delta have offered pilots.
Actors are asking movie and TV studios for increased residuals from streaming services and fighting against the unpaid use of their work and likeness through artificial intelligence.
Martinsville native and Ball State graduate Jacob Davis is a member of SAG-AFTRA. He says they just want what they feel is fair.
“As one of the lower totem pole actors who’s working my way up, I’m not expecting riches,” Davis said. “I'm not expecting the world to be given to me for working, nobody expects that. It’s a little bit of a slap in the face."
SAG-AFTRA represents about 160,000 actors, including major celebrities.
The union says only 12.7% of its members make more than $26,000, a threshold that qualifies them for health insurance.
