There are a lot of great things that come with being a SAG-AFTRA member.
Benefits of Membership
These are some of the ways SAG-AFTRA serves and protects its members.
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Members earn credits toward retirement and health care each time they work. Click the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan, SAG-Producers Pension Plan and AFTRA Retirement Fund for details.
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Made exclusively for members, the SAG-AFTRA app lets you track residuals, keep tabs on specific projects, read the latest news, add events to your calendar, answer key contract questions and snag special deals. A SAG-AFTRA card has long been the mark of true entertainment and media professionals. Now the SAG-AFTRA app gives you a powerful toolkit that can assist your career at every stage. Click here to download the SAG-AFTRA app.
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SAG-AFTRA negotiates wages and working conditions in order to maintain minimum standards for its members. Learn more about contracts here.
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offers a variety of workshops taught by industry pros who will assess and enhance your skills as an actor. Visit your Local page for Conservatory news and events in your area.
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Cold reading and scene showcases with working casting directors. Visit your local page and the EEO & Diversity Department page for events in your area.
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is an educational, humanitarian and philanthropic 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which serves members of SAG-AFTRA, their families and the greater community. Click here for a list of Foundation programs or visit the Foundation website for more info. Be sure to create an account on the Foundation website so you can receive email invites to register for their events and programs.
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SAG-AFTRA’s free, members-only online casting directory. Please log in as a member to access the service.
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SAG-AFTRA members are eligible for outstanding deals on entertainment, car rentals, insurance, medical visits, prescriptions, real estate, legal services and more. Just log in as a member and click here.
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SAG-AFTRA members and staff can organize non-union productions and sign them to SAG-AFTRA contracts. Visit our Get Involved section for more information.
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If you are approached about appearing in a non-union student film, low-budget, ultra low-budget, or short film there is a SAG-AFTRA contract to cover it. Check out SAGindie.
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The SAG-AFTRA Film Society offers members and a guest opportunities to view the latest releases at a great discount off theatre prices (program available in certain areas.) Also, members can purchase discounted movie tickets to various public theatres. Visit your Local page for programs in your area.
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SAG-AFTRA offers Young Performers orientation meetings, a handbook containing detailed information to help young performers, an online database consisting of laws pertaining to young performers across the country, and many more resources for young actors and their parents.
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All members receive SAG-AFTRA Magazine, a quarterly members-only publication filled with useful information for members. Also, make sure SAG-AFTRA has your email address, and look out for regular local newsletters and eblasts. We want to help you stay informed about your union and industry.
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SAG-AFTRA is a representative democracy run by members for the benefit of members. We encourage members to actively participate in SAG-AFTRA governance by voting on referenda, joining committees or serving on the National Board, a Local Board, or as a Convention Delegate.
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Only active, paid-up Union members are given the opportunity to vote for the recipients of the Screen Actors Guild Awards coveted bronze Actor statuette. Also, "For Your Consideration" and nomination screenings are only available to active, paid-up SAG-AFTRA members. Visit the SAG Awards for more information.
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Use SAG-AFTRA's convenient online signatory database to check the signatory status of any project at any time. Verify this information with a call to our TV/Theatrical Contracts department at (323) 549-6828. Verifying this information makes it easier for members to comply with Global Rule One and No Contract/No Work. Visit the Signatory Search page for more information.
Benefits From SAG-AFTRA Partners
SAG-AFTRA has formed a host of industry partnerships, which open the door to great opportunities for our members.
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The SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Casting Access program provides free audition preparation workshops with prominent casting professionals in Los Angeles and New York every week and in cities nationwide. Casting Access also provides Casting Access Online, an online workshop, for members living outside of Los Angeles and New York. All members must sign up for a user account on the Foundation’s website and apply through the website to participate in Casting Access.
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The following programs are available to SAG-AFTRA members and their families who want to explore new or industry related career paths: Career Transition for Dancers, The Entertainment Community Fund, Actors Work Program, The Motion Picture Player Welfare Fund. All of these are non-profit organizations that offer free services to SAG-AFTRA members.
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The SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Life Raft program offers seminars to educate actors, including Commercials 101, agent panels, how to prepare an actor’s taxes, developing your own project, parenting young performers, set etiquette and many others.
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SAG-AFTRA members are automatically eligible for services offered by the Entertainment Community Fund, a national nonprofit human service organization. The Entertainment Community fund provides services to all entertainment professionals in four areas: affordable housing, sideline work, health insurance information, and social services and emergency grants. Click here for more info.
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SAG-AFTRA senior performers can access the Performing Arts Legacy Project, a unique platform from The Actors Fund dedicated to encouraging performers to gather and document their most important career milestones. PAL showcases the entertainment industry for current and future generations, and is an expanding resource for visitors. If you are a senior member with a legacy to document, check out PAL, browse some of the sites other actors have created and consider adding your own legacy.
Union Plus Programs
Union Plus is a program created by the AFL-CIO to develop and coordinate member-only benefits. Our union publications have showcased the Union Plus programs and services available to SAG-AFTRA members through Union Privilege. These programs and services have been developed nationally by Union Privilege – not by SAG-AFTRA – and all information and questions regarding the programs and services are handled by the individual program provides through dedicated toll-free phone numbers. SAG-AFTRA does not endorse any of the products or services. Please visit www.unionplus.org for a full listing of programs and discounts available to SAG-AFTRA members, which include:
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Save up to 40% on prescriptions at more than 20,000 pharmacies nationwide
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Free and discounted legal services from union-friendly lawyers. Free consultation (up to 30 minutes).
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Competitive-rate mortgages for home purchase or refinancing and savings on real estate agent services. Main benefits of this mortgage/real estate offer are: Peace of mind – option to have mortgage paid for 6 months if actor is laid off or disabled, and up to 1 year during a strike, saving money – save hundreds of in closing costs; family benefits – union members and immediate family (parents and children) are eligible to obtain loan; personal service – one personalized, professional, and knowledgeable point of contact; and variety – a wide variety of mortgages are available, including loans for those with less-than-perfect credit or other unique circumstances.