National Executive Director Transition FAQs

FAQs

What is Duncan Crabtree-Ireland’s experience?

• Duncan Crabtree-Ireland is SAG-AFTRA’s longtime second in command, chief operating officer and general counsel.
  • General Counsel since 2006
  • Second in command since 2010
  • Chief Operating Officer since 2014
• He is the only person other than David White to have all three core areas of experience:
  • Lead negotiator of major, multiple employer collective bargaining agreements
    • Sound Recordings Code (3 cycles - almost 10 years)
    • Music Video Agreement (2 cycles)
    • Telemundo (first contract, in Spanish)
  • Overseer of union operations
    • Managed many union departments and co-led the Music Contracts department.
    • Widely regarded as an excellent manager; has ensured complex projects are completed successfully and on budget.
  • Overseer of legal affairs/activities
    • Is a very experienced lawyer.
    • Has ensured success in litigation by and against SAG-AFTRA.
  • Extraordinary success for members as lead negotiator in collective bargaining including:
  • Sound Recording Code
    • Achieved the first ever expansion of streaming payments to worldwide use. Prior to Crabtree-Ireland, artists were paid only for domestic use and foreign was free - resulting in massive increases in streaming money to members - average 10% increase every year.
    • Achieved first ever payment of health and retirement plan contributions on streaming money - then tripled the contribution amount in the next round of bargaining, generating millions of dollars in additional contributions to the health and retirement plans.
    • Designed and achieved a new licensing payment system that has increased compliance with licensing from 20% to almost 100% and more than tripled licensing revenue to members, while building in protections to ensure no members were left out.
  • Music Video Agreement
    • Achieved first-ever residuals payments for music video use on streaming.
    • Successfully bargained for expansion of contract to include background performers for the first time - even though it was not a mandatory subject of bargaining.
    • Achieved 10 covered background positions in the first negotiation - more than the average number of background employed on music videos - creating thousands of union-covered background jobs that were totally nonunion before.
  • Telemundo
    • Successfully concluded a first contract after 16 months of bargaining with an anti-union employer, starting from scratch in a totally non-union segment of the industry.
    • As lead negotiator and often working in Spanish language, Crabtree-Ireland achieved all three key pillars of the negotiation established by the member committee at the beginning:
      • First ever mandatory minimum wages at Telemundo
      • First ever health or retirement contributions and benefits
      • First ever residuals for supplemental use of members work
• Crabtree-Ireland served as coordinator and co-lead negotiator for the Return to Work agreement between the four major entertainment industry unions (SAG-AFTRA, DGA, IATSE, Teamsters & Basic Crafts) and the AMPTP, helping to design and implement the COVID safety program that has allowed our members to safely get back to work long prior to the availability of vaccines for COVID.
• Crabtree-Ireland is a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. He has overseen SAG-AFTRA’s Equity & Inclusion department since 2006, and has received several awards for his commitment to diversity. He is the staff co-founder of SAG-AFTRA’s LGBTQ Committee, and conceived and oversaw the first ever study of anti-LGBTQ discrimination in the entertainment industry jointly conducted by SAG-AFTRA and the UCLA Law School’s Williams Institute. He is also the founding co-convenor of the International Federation of Actors’ Global Diversity Working Group. 

What is the union’s process for succession?

President Carteris immediately advised the officers and board of David White’s transition, activated a succession planning process, discussed options with the 10 national officers, and at the direction of the National Board, engaged with outside counsel in negotiating an employment contract with Duncan Crabtree-Ireland which the national officers, the 38 members of the Executive Committee, and the full 80-member National Board reviewed and approved. 

Why was a search committee unnecessary?

Search committees and searches in general are undertaken when there is no succession plan and no viable replacement. That is not the case here. With more than two decades’ experience working hand-in-hand with elected leadership and the executive staff team, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland is uniquely qualified for, and is the natural successor to, the National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator role. 

Crabtree-Ireland is the right choice to continue the unprecedented stability SAG-AFTRA has experienced in recent years.

Were the union’s elected leaders part of the decision making process?

Absolutely. SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris oversaw this transparent and collaborative process on behalf of the union. Carteris is working with all of the national officers to ensure a fair and collaborative process. 

In addition to multiple meetings with the national officers, meetings were held with the Finance Committee and the Executive Committee, in addition to review and approval by the National Board.

Does new leadership mean a change in priorities?

The union’s key priority is always to protect the membership and increase opportunities for employment in the industry. As national executive director, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland will consult and advise elected leadership and ensure that the priorities of the member leaders and the institution are aligned. The role of the national executive director and chief negotiator is to implement the directives of the national officers and national board, to lead the operations of the union and to guide and direct the staff. 

Crabtree-Ireland has been and will continue to be  instrumental in overseeing the implementation of all of the union’s major priorities, including bargaining strong contracts, organizing new work opportunities, contract enforcement, combatting sexual harassment; innovating to better serve our members; advancing diversity, equity and inclusion; getting our members back to work safely during the pandemic; and navigating the changing entertainment and media landscape to optimize our members’ wages, benefits and opportunities. 

Were there other considerations that influenced this decision? 

No. This decision was based on a careful and thorough consideration about who could be the best staff leader for SAG-AFTRA’s future. The union’s interest is in ensuring the continuing stability SAG-AFTRA has enjoyed for the past decade. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland brings years of specific experience in leading SAG-AFTRA, unmatched expertise in core areas and a deep dedication to the membership, along with a tough but innovative and creative approach to collective bargaining that has served our members well in all the contract negotiations he has led.

What negotiations has Duncan Crabtree-Ireland led?

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland is the lead negotiator for SAG-AFTRA’s music agreements and contract with the Telemundo network. He has strong relationships across the entertainment and media industry. 

• Crabtree-Ireland has been an integral part of nearly all Commercials Contracts and TV/Theatrical Contracts negotiations in his role as General Counsel and worked closely with the negotiating teams. In addition, he was lead negotiator on multiple contracts and negotiations including bargaining on the:
  • Sound Recording Code
    • Achieved the first ever expansion of streaming payments to worldwide use. Prior to Crabtree-Ireland, artists were paid only for domestic use and foreign was free - resulting in massive increases in streaming money to members - average 10% increase every year.
    • Achieved first ever payment of health and retirement plan contributions on streaming money - then tripled the contribution amount in the next round of bargaining, generating millions of dollars in additional contributions to the health and retirement plans.
    • Designed and achieved a new licensing payment system that has increased compliance with licensing from 20% to almost 100% and more than tripled licensing revenue to members, while building in protections to ensure no members were left out.
• Music Video Agreement
  • Achieved first-ever residuals payments for music video use on streaming.
  • Successfully bargained for expansion of contract to include background performers for the first time - even though it was not a mandatory subject of bargaining.
  • Achieved 10 covered background positions in the first negotiation - more than the average number of background employed on music videos - creating thousands of union-covered background jobs that were totally nonunion before.
• Telemundo
  • Successfully concluded a first contract after 16 months of bargaining with an anti-union employer, starting from scratch in a totally non-union segment of the industry,
  • As lead negotiator and often working in Spanish language, Crabtree-Ireland achieved all three key pillars of the negotiation established by the member committee at the beginning:
    • First ever mandatory minimum wages at Telemundo
    • First ever health or retirement contributions and benefits
    • First ever residuals for supplemental use of members work

How has his experience over 20 years with SAG-AFTRA positioned him for this leading executive role?

Duncan is the longtime second in command and has been Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel for more than a decade. He has managed many union departments and co-led the Music Contracts department. Crabtree-Ireland is widely regarded as an excellent manager; has ensured complex projects are completed successfully and on budget and is a very experienced lawyer who has ensured success in litigation by and against SAG-AFTRA.

I read that David White’s contract runs through 2023. Are we paying out the remaining months?

No, he will be paid under the contract until his last day as NED.
 

Will David White continue to work for SAG-AFTRA?

David will be working for SAG-AFTRA in a consulting capacity as senior advisor to assist with the transition and to continue his work on several important initiatives and projects including, but not limited to protocols for hair and makeup for actors of color, the Stunt Task Force on Diversity, other diversity and equity initiatives, and several board appointments.

Why is David White allowed to leave before the end of his contract?

Employment contracts cannot stop an individual from pursuing other employment, especially under California law. This is the same principle we fight for on behalf of members against restrictive non-competition agreements, which are illegal under California law.
 

Why is David White leaving?

After serving as national executive director for more than twelve years, David is pursuing other opportunities. While he considered making this transition sooner, he decided to stay through the lion’s share of the pandemic to help make sure that SAG-AFTRA’s members would be well cared for, and that the institution would be in the strongest possible position to move forward.