Maria Elena Durazo’s statement on the merger of the Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA into one union SAG-AFTRA

I want to congratulate the leadership of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) on their successful merger election. The new union SAG-AFTRA will strengthen the voice of actors, performers and broadcasters in the entertainment industry at a time when corporations have inordinate power and tremendous resources at their disposal.  It is even more important that the men and women who work in this industry have a greater capacity to protect their wages, health care, retirement and basic rights.

Both SAG and AFTRA created good middle class jobs for working performers and helped to build a strong labor movement in Los Angeles. The new SAG-AFTRA will become more of an equal partner with the industry to maintain and keep middle class jobs in Los Angeles.