SAG-AFTRA

SAG-AFTRA

Full name	Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
Founded	March 30, 2012 (2012-03-30)
Members	156,894 ("active" members) 80,440 (other members; withdrawn/suspended) (2014)[1]
Affiliation	AAAA, AFL-CIO, IFJ, FIA
Key people	Ken Howard, President Gabrielle Carteris, Executive Vice President Jane Austin, Secretary-Treasurer Clyde Kusatsu, National VP, LA Mike Hodge, National VP, NY Ilyssa Fradin, National VP, Mid-Sized Locals David Hartley-Margolin, National VP, Small Locals Samantha Mathis, National VP, Actors/Performers Catherine Brown, National VP, Broadcasters Dan Navarro, National VP, Recording Artists
Office location	5757 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, California
Country	United States
Website	www.sagaftra.org

The Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is an American labor union representing over 160,000 film and television principal and background performers, journalists, and radio personalities worldwide. The organization was formed on March 30, 2012, following the merger of the Screen Actors Guild (created in 1933) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (created in 1952).^[2] The SAG-AFTRA is a member of the AFL–CIO, the largest federation of unions in the United States.^[3]

History

As of January 2013, Variety reported that the merger had proceeded with "few bumps", amid shows of good will on both sides. The stickiest remaining problem was reported to be the merger of the two pension funds, in part as a way of dealing with the issue of performers who paid into each plan, yet did not quite earn enough under either of the old plans to qualify for a pension.^[4] The merger completed shortly afterwards.

The union is perceived as having two factions. The larger faction, led by current president Ken Howard, has focused on creating job opportunities for members. A second faction has criticized the current administration for being too quick and soft when it comes to negotiations with studios.^[5]

Composition

SAG-AFTRA headquarters in Los Angeles, California

SAG-AFTRA has a diverse membership consisting of film and television performers, actors in radio, video games, and television, radio and television announcers and newspersons, singers and recording artists (both royalty artists and background singers), performers in commercials in all forms of media, and actors working as stunt persons and specialty acts.

Membership in SAG-AFTRA is considered a rite of passage for new actors and presenters. It is often procured after getting hired for their first job in a studio that has a collective bargaining agreement with the union.^[6] SAG-AFTRA work is considered to be substantially more prestigious than non-union jobs. Due to the size and influence of the union, most major media firms have a collective bargaining agreement with SAG-AFTRA. Studios that have signed a collective bargaining agreement with SAG-AFTRA are generally not closed shops, but are required to give preference to union members first when hiring.

Nearly all professional actors and presenters working for medium or large-scale American media firms are expected to be unionized. As a result, SAG-AFTRA has many members who are consistently out of work, abnormal for a union, but reflective of how work is procured in the industry. According to SAG-AFTRA's Department of Labor records since its founding, around 34%, or a third, of the union's total membership have consistently been considered "withdrawn," "suspended," or otherwise not categorized as "active" members. These members are ineligible to vote in the union.^[7] "Honorable withdrawals" constitute the largest portion of these, at 20% of the total membership, or 46,934 members. "Suspended payment" members are the second largest, at 14%, or 33,422 members.^[1] This classification scheme is continued from the Screen Actors Guild,^[8] rather than the scheme used by AFTRA.^[9]

References

External links

• Miller, Sean J. (May 21, 2012). "SAG-AFTRA Names Top Leadership". Backstage. Retrieved July 16, 2013. 
• Verrier, Richard (March 31, 2012). "SAG, AFTRA members overwhelmingly approve merger". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 16, 2013.