[5] In April 1937, his union local was one of those unaffiliated with IATSE which formed the Federation of Motion Picture Crafts (FMPC).

[8] This notoriety led to his subsequent position as the business representative for the painter's union[9] and as a result he became one of the major negotiators who settled the strike in June.

[11] The strike was supported by the newly formed Screen Cartoonist's Guild, and the cooperation resulted in the organization of the Conference of Studio Unions (CSU), which Sorrell proceeded to lead.

[13] However, collusion between the IATSE leadership and the studios[14] resulted in a lockout which developed into a strike in September 1946, which the CSU did not have the financial strength to endure.

[12] Sorrell was convicted of "contempt of court" and "failure to disperse" in connection with the 1945 strike but acquitted of all of the felony charges.