Sorrell, Herbert Knott, 1897-1974.

The Hollywood studio strike began on Mar. 12, 1945 when the Conference of Studio Unions (CSU), consisting of nine unions and nearly ten thousand workers led by Herbert Sorrell, went on strike to protest the studios' delay in granting a contract renewal for interior decorators despite opposition from the larger, more established International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and Moving Picture Operators of the United States and Canada (IATSE). In early Oct. 1945, CSU concentrated its pickets at Warner Bros.; a series of fights ensued and police, studio guards, and IATSE forced the strikers to retreat. At the end of Oct., the National Labor Relations Board ruled in favor of CSU, and the studios and IATSE gave way. In early 1946, CSU tried to negotiate a new wage contract with the studios, but disagreements led to another strike in the summer of 1946. IATSE sent their employees to keep the studios open, provoking more armed clashes. The Screen Actors Guild and 24 other Hollywood unions denounced the strike as a jurisdictional dispute, affirming their right to cross the picket lines. CSU's failure to close the studios led to a vote in Oct. 1947 by the painters union which broke the strike; CSU disintegrated and faded away.

From the description of Scrapbooks about Los Angeles and the Hollywood Strike, 1945-1947. (University of California, Los Angeles). WorldCat record id: 40478205

Biography

The Hollywood studio strike began on March 12, 1945 when the Conference of Studio Unions (CSU), consisting of nine unions and nearly ten thousand workers led by Herbert Sorrell, went on strike to protest the studios' delay in granting a contract renewal for interior decorators despite opposition from the larger, more established International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and Moving Picture Operators of the United States and Canada (IATSE). In early October 1945, CSU concentrated its pickets at Warner Brothers; a series of fights ensued and police, studio guards, and IATSE forced the strikers to retreat. At the end of October, the National Labor Relations Board ruled in favor of CSU, and the studios and IATSE gave way. In early 1946, CSU tried to negotiate a new wage contract with the studios, but disagreements led to another strike in the summer of 1946. IATSE sent their employees to keep the studios open, provoking more armed clashes. The Screen Actors Guild and 24 other Hollywood unions denounced the strike as a jurisdictional dispute, affirming their right to cross the picket lines. CSU's failure to close the studios led to a vote in October 1947 by the painters union which broke the strike; CSU disintegrated and faded away.

From the guide to the Herbert Knott Sorrell Scrapbooks About Los Angeles and the Hollywood Strike, 1945-1947, (University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Department of Special Collections.)