I want to say this gently, but if you jumped to the conclusion that IATSE Local 8 are totally irrational, secretly WWE agents, or acting suspiciously you may be filtering real life issues through an IWC online argument filter. They are just workers who want better conditions. 🤼♂️
You can't at all blame AEW fans for being defensive, IMO...because, there are weekly attacks against the product, and it gets exhausting. - Right or wrong, fans live in a constant defensive position...and with good reason.
This entire situation was unfortunate timing...because, people automatically expect something bad to happen when AEW is riding on a streak of quality shows. - To say it would feel very "on brand" would be an understatement.
I'm not blaming anyone. I just think it is a good moment for reflection. In this case, badfaith grifters were also using the union for their own purposes, but I think people unfairly blamed the union for that.
I understand that labor organizing and union tactics are completely foreign to most Americans, but generally unions do everything for a reason. Their goal is almost always to improve conditions and wages. Lacking a schema for understanding labor actions I think people use a schema they do know.