SAG-AFTRA facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
SAG-AFTRA

Founded	March 30, 2012; 13 years ago (2012-03-30)
Merger of	Screen Actors Guild American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
Type	Trade union
Legal status	501(c)(5) organization
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California, US
Location	United States
Members	171,157 (active; 2022) 80,440 (other; withdrawn/​suspended; 2014)
President	Fran Drescher
Executive director	Duncan Crabtree-Ireland
Affiliations	AFL–CIO Associated Actors and Artistes of America International Federation of Actors International Federation of Journalists
Staff (2018)	664

The Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is a large union in the United States. It was created in 2012 when two groups, the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, joined together. This union helps about 170,000 people who work in media around the world. These professionals include actors, singers, journalists, and many others. SAG-AFTRA works to make sure its members have fair pay, good working conditions, and important benefits. It is part of the AFL-CIO, which is the biggest group of unions in the U.S.

History of SAG-AFTRA

SAG-AFTRA Plaza in Los Angeles, California, is where SAG-AFTRA has its main office.

How SAG-AFTRA Was Formed

SAG-AFTRA was officially created on March 30, 2012. This happened when the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists merged. People thought the merger went smoothly. One of the main challenges was combining the two groups' retirement savings plans. This was important for performers who had paid into both plans.

SAG-AFTRA has its main offices in Los Angeles, California, and New York City. It also has many other offices across the country.

Screen Actors Guild Awards

The Screen Actors Guild Awards started in 1995. These awards celebrate amazing performances in movies and TV shows. They are a big event in Hollywood, like the Golden Globe Awards and the Oscars. The awards honor individual actors and the entire cast of a movie or TV series.

Who Are SAG-AFTRA Members?

SAG-AFTRA has many different types of members. These include actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, and disc jockeys. It also includes news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, and voiceover artists.

Joining SAG-AFTRA is a big step for new performers. People usually join after getting their first job with a studio that works with the union. Working on a SAG-AFTRA project is often seen as more important than non-union jobs. Most big media companies have agreements with SAG-AFTRA. This is because the union is very large and has a lot of influence. These companies usually prefer to hire union members.

Most professional actors and media workers in the U.S. are union members. Some members are listed as "withdrawn" or "suspended." This means they are not active and cannot vote in union matters.

Groups Within the Union

There are two main groups, or "factions," within SAG-AFTRA. One group, called "United for Strength," focuses on creating more job opportunities for members. The other group, "Membership First," sometimes thinks the union is too quick to agree with studios during negotiations.

Major Strikes and Protests

Global Rule One

"Global Rule One" is a very important rule for SAG-AFTRA members. It means that a union member must always work under a union contract. This rule applies to jobs anywhere in the world.

If a production has not signed the necessary agreements, the union will issue "do not work" orders. This tells members not to work on those projects.

2016–2017 Video Game Strike

SAG-AFTRA went on strike against several video game companies on October 21, 2016. This happened after about a year and a half of talks. The union wanted better contracts for voice actors in video games. They fought for clear contract details, preventing vocal strain from long recording sessions, and safety for stunt performers. They also wanted payments based on game sales, which is common in other entertainment areas.

The video game companies worried that these payments would take away from the work of programmers and artists. This was the first strike in the video game industry. It also became the longest strike for SAG at 340 days. An agreement was finally reached on September 23, 2017.

Strike Against Bartle Bogle Hegarty

On September 20, 2018, SAG-AFTRA called a strike against an advertising company called Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH). BBH had decided not to follow its long-standing contract with SAG-AFTRA. This contract said BBH could only hire union actors. BBH felt this put them at a disadvantage.

Thousands of union members joined protests and rallies across the country. These actions were very successful. On July 20, 2019, SAG-AFTRA ended its 10-month strike. BBH agreed to sign the union's new advertising contract.

Donald Trump Ban

On February 7, 2021, SAG-AFTRA announced that former President Donald Trump was not allowed to rejoin the union. He had resigned from the union a few days earlier. This decision was made because of actions seen as harmful to SAG-AFTRA journalists and union members.

2023 Hollywood Strike

Picketers outside of the Warner Bros. Discovery offices in New York City during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.

In June 2023, SAG-AFTRA members voted to allow a strike if a new contract was not agreed upon. Over 300 actors, including Jennifer Lawrence and Meryl Streep, signed a letter supporting a strike. By the next day, 1,000 members had signed. Key issues included fair payments based on how many people watched shows on streaming services. They also wanted to limit self-tape auditions and prevent the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to create voices and faces without permission.

On July 10, 2023, SAG-AFTRA announced strike rules. These included no filming, no press interviews, and no social media promotions for union actors. The studios, represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, offered a deal. This deal included over $1 billion for higher salaries, pensions, and health insurance. It also offered protection from AI use of actors' images. However, SAG-AFTRA refused the deal on July 12.

Two SAG-AFTRA members striking outside of Warner Bros. Studios Burbank.

On July 13, SAG-AFTRA announced that its contract had expired without a new agreement. The union's committee voted to strike. The strike began on July 14. This was the first time since 1960 that both actors and writers (the WGA) were on strike at the same time. The strike lasted almost four months, ending on November 9, 2023. The new deal was approved by 78.33% of voting members on December 5.

2024–2025 Video Game Strike

On July 26, 2024, SAG-AFTRA began another strike against video game companies. About 2,600 people who work in video games, including voice actors and motion capture performers, took part. The strike was suspended on June 11, 2025. SAG-AFTRA members were told they could return to work on these productions.

Organizing Campaigns

Telemundo

In February 2016, SAG-AFTRA claimed that NBCUniversal, which owns Telemundo, treated its Spanish-language performers differently from its English-language performers. Telemundo said it was working to make sure its employees had competitive salaries and good working conditions.

SAG-AFTRA said that Telemundo employees were like "second-class professionals." They often did not get basic benefits like fair pay, water breaks, health insurance, or residuals. The union also claimed that Telemundo was trying to stop employees from forming a union.

In August 2016, Telemundo refused to air an ad from SAG-AFTRA. The ad talked about the unfair pay and lack of benefits for Telemundo employees. Other Spanish-language networks did air the ad. SAG-AFTRA said Telemundo was trying to hide the truth about its working conditions.

In March 2016, Telemundo performers voted secretly on whether to unionize. 81% of eligible voters chose to join the union.

On July 12, 2018, SAG-AFTRA announced a new agreement with Telemundo. This was the first time such a deal was reached for Spanish-language TV performers. Key parts of the three-year deal included:

• Being able to join the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan and Pension Plan.
• Getting residuals for shows watched both in the U.S. and other countries.
• Guaranteed minimum pay rates for all performers.
• Yearly increases in minimum pay.
• Better working conditions and safety rules, like rest periods and stunt coordination.

The agreement was updated in 2021. It included longer rest periods, new rules about preventing harassment, and an increase in health and pension contributions.

Working for a Greener Entertainment Industry

In May 2023, SAG-AFTRA teamed up with other entertainment groups to start the Green Council Initiative. This project aims to make the entertainment industry more environmentally friendly. Famous members like Fran Drescher, Cate Blanchett, and Robert Redford are part of this effort.

Leaders of SAG-AFTRA

Before SAG-AFTRA formed, the Screen Actors Guild had 28 presidents from 1933 to 2012. AFTRA had 22 presidents from 1937 to 2012.

In 2012, Ken Howard became the first president of SAG-AFTRA. He had been the president of the Screen Actors Guild. He worked as co-president with Roberta Reardon, who was AFTRA's president. After Ken Howard passed away in 2016, Gabrielle Carteris became president until 2021.

The current president is Fran Drescher, who started in September 2021 and was re-elected in September 2023. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland has been the National Executive Director since 2021.

See also

In Spanish: SAG-AFTRA para niños

• ACTRA – a similar Canadian organization for English-speaking performers
• Union des artistes – ACTRA's French-speaking equivalent
• National Association of Actors – a similar Mexican organization