Charging Alec Baldwin Misses the Point

News of Alec Baldwin being charged for the Rust shooting and unfortunate death of Halyna Hutchins circulated Thursday. The district attorney for the case claimed “We’re trying to definitely make it clear that everybody’s equal under the law, including A-list actors like Alec Baldwin.” On the surface, this seems fair. After all Alec Baldwin shot the gun. However, in a systemic sense, it wasn’t.

In the film industry, film unions such as SAG-AFTRA or IATSE are used in order to ensure safe labor on set. These film unions have union worker stagehands, safety experts, prop experts, as well as production professionals. Duties include prepping props, making sure filming goes on properly, as well as ensuring that the set is safe and clear for actors and crew members. So, how did this shooting happen? Rust producers chose to use a non-union film crew. Film unions are a systemic norm and without a film union present, there is bound to be mishaps. This is a good systemic norm however, and one that also ensures worker equity and labor rights.

Given this information, it is clear the producers are to blame solely for what occurred on the Rust set. Unions are prepared and equipped to ensure safety. The independent safety expert was clearly not. Producers hire people. Those people then handle a duty. Producers hire a director, and then that director directs actors. Alec Baldwin is very far down in the chain of who is supposed to ensure prop safety. It is in fact not his expertise. It is akin to your boss firing you for something that they caused.

It is a fundamental lack of understanding of the film industry and unions that Alec Baldwin is being held accountable. Charging Alec Baldwin misses the point of unions and perhaps is a greater cause for concern that many Americans don’t understand the importance of what unions provide to industry.