1970s

1970

• Charlton Heston re-elected SAG president
• Bill Baldwin,  announcer and actor, elected AFTRA national president, succeeding Mel Brandt
• Hollywood film production in state of “near depression” with 42% unemployed.  Guild and IATSE announce lower-budget contract that hopes to bring production back to Hollywood, dubbed the “Comeback Contract.”

1971

• John Gavin, film and TV leading man, elected SAG president, succeeding Charlton Heston.
• Bill Baldwin re-elected AFTRA national president.
• SAG joins with AFTRA credit union to form AFTRA-SAG Credit Union.
• Election: First-ever "fully contested" SAG election, as independent candidates challenge the nominating committee's choices for seven Guild officer positions (including the President) and 16 Board seats - none of the independents are elected.
• SAG President Gavin petitions President Nixon for government assistance to film industry, asking for tax incentives for motion pictures, limit TV to 25% reruns, and give government filmmaking to private sector.

1972

• John Gavin re-elected SAG president
• Bill Baldwin re-elected AFTRA national president.
• SAG Women's Committee founded, reveals Brigham Young University study shows 81.7% of roles on TV are male, vs 18.3% female .
• Diversity: SAG Ethnic Minorities Committee founding announced in February
• Conservatory: AFI - Screen Actors Guild conservatory founded

1973

• Dennis Weaver, star of the TV hit series McCloud, becomes SAG president, defeating incumbent John Gavin. Weaver is first SAG president elected under new two-year term period. Six other candidates defeated by independents as well, which will mark a turn from the Guild's traditionally conservative leadership to a more liberal, activist one.
• Kenneth Harvey, stage and daytime television actor, and a regular on Search for Tomorrow since 1968, elected AFTRA national president, succeeding Bill Baldwin.

1974

• Dennis Weaver continues as SAG president.
• Kenneth Harvey re-elected AFTRA national president.
• Merger: SAG and AFTRA announce on Jan. 2 that Dennis Weaver and Kenneth Harvey have appointed committees to study possibility of merger
• Contract negotiations/firsts: SAG and AFTRA jointly negotiate contract covering primetime dramatic programming on the major television networks for the first time.
• Residuals: Results of  SAG Theatrical & TV contract gains, include prime time TV residuals for every rerun in prime time, rather than previous practice of paying for only two reruns, and residuals in perpetuity for TV reruns in syndication replacing "the old buyout at the tenth run," and the fees are increased by 25%.  Parity with AFTRA also achieved for first time, whereby primetime taped AFTRA shows pay same as SAG filmed. Head negotiator for AMPTP was Lew Wasserman.
• Communism: Anti-Communist "loyalty oath" removed from SAG membership applications by action of Board of Directors July 24th.

1975

• Kathleen Nolan, performing professionally since childhood and former star of the TV comedy series’ The Real McCoys and Broadside, becomes first female SAG President, succeeding Dennis Weaver.
• Kenneth Harvey re-elected AFTRA national president.
• AFTRA negotiates first PBS contract.
• Screen Actors Guild Film Society debuts on May 1.
• AMPTP loses major member as Universal pulls out.  It will soon be joined by Paramount to form “The Alliance.” Other majors that will pull out over the next two years will include Disney, MGM and United Artists.

1976

• Kathleen Nolan continues as SAG president
• Joe Slattery, Chicago announcer and voiceover artist, is elected first AFTRA National President succeeding Ken Harvey. Slattery is the first president elected who is from a local other than New York or Los Angeles.
• United States celebrates Bicentennial year.
• Jimmy Carter elected president of the United States.

1977

• Kathleen Nolan, SAG incumbent president, running as an independent, re-elected SAG president.
• Joe Slattery re-elected AFTRA national president.
• Governance: SAG expands National Executive Committee from 7 seats to 13 (President, 10 vice-presidents, recording secretary, and treasurer)

1978

• Kathleen Nolan continues as SAG president
• Joe Slattery re-elected AFTRA national president.
•  Merger: Meetings begin of SAG/AFTRA Coordinating Study Committee to "...study feasibility of merger and to develop new areas of cooperation between SAG and AFTRA
• Strikes: SAG and AFTRA Commercials Strike against advertising agencies and national advertisers for better residuals on TV ads, Dec. 19, 1978 - Feb. 7, 1979. It is AFTRA’s second national strike and SAG’s fourth.

1979

• William Schallert, prolific character actor, elected SAG president, succeeding Kathleen Nolan.
• Bill Hillman, San Francisco news broadcaster/KPIX television reporter, elected AFTRA national president, succeeding Joe Slattery.
• Strike:  SAG and AFTRA commercials strike continues until February.
• Diversity: SAG protest marches in Los Angeles and New York on March 10 with signs "Women and Minorities: Not Seen on the American Scene"..."Window Dressing on the Set"...and "TV: it's Time for a Facelift."