The Alliance, through President Shay鈥檚 aggressive efforts, was successful in getting studio jobs for IA members. 聽The International felt confident enough to call a general strike in 1918 against producers, demanding recognition of the IA as the bargaining agent for its members, calling for a closed shop and a wage increase. 聽The IA also demanded overtime pay, and double time for Sunday work.
IA called out the projectionists in a secondary boycott.
But the timing wasn鈥檛 right. 聽Several studios remained open thanks to strikebreakers from the Carpenters. 聽The Department of Labor eventually settled the strike, with a wage scale granted but no union recognition.