Happy Anniversary, SAG-AFTRA Members

Dear Member,

Nearly a decade ago, two great unions joined forces for the good of all members. I was, and still am, a passionate advocate of the merger of Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio artists because it was clear – our strength is in our unity.

We understood that our members and those who would join in the future would see improvement in their work lives because we had solved our essential problem: two unions fighting each other for the same work.

You can just go back to last year to see the result of combined leverage: we reached a landmark agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on a TV/Theatrical deal worth $318 million – the highest value contract in our history. The agreement included meaningful wage increases and significantly improved residuals for streaming video, as well as important, new protections governing nudity, simulated sex scenes and sexual harassment prevention. Residuals due performers for subscription streaming programs will pay 26-45% more for the first three years of exhibition, enhancing the standard for generations to come in the expanding world of streaming.

We bargained transformative commercials agreements with flexible alternative compensation models to promote growth of union-covered commercial work. This landmark agreement gives advertisers innovative options to work with SAG-AFTRA actors.   

Neither of these deals would have been possible had we not merged because the industry would have used its typical divide-and-conquer strategy against two separate unions – and performers would have lost.

Our unity has expanded opportunities for our members. We organized the first network in half a century at Telemundo. And, in the last several years we organized the entire audiobooks industry. In public media, broadcasters from coast to coast have joined our ranks. All of these organizing victories mean greater protections and more money in the pockets of performers.

The strength of one union was clear during the global pandemic when SAG-AFTRA collaborated with our industry, union and guild allies, to develop a scientifically-based, detailed plan to get us back to work.

Performers face enormous challenges in the future, as do all members of unions in virtually every sector of the economy. Our industry is rapidly evolving and consolidating into fewer corporate hands who are seeking to undercut performers by unilaterally shaping wages and working conditions in the new streaming world.

As I reflect on the power of one union, I am more convinced than ever that the merger has positioned SAG-AFTRA to play a critical role in protecting the rights of all entertainment and media professionals.

Happy anniversary, SAG-AFTRA members!

Strength in unity,

Gabrielle Carteris
President