Rebecca Damon is the Chief Labor Policy Officer and New York Local Executive Director for SAG-AFTRA. As part of the executive leadership team, Damon oversees the Labor Policy & International Affairs department and has oversight of the Locals outside of Los Angeles and New York.
A champion for workers’ rights, Damon has advocated for a worker centered trade policy and protections for SAG-AFTRA members in a fast changing technological landscape and increasingly globalized creative industry. Damon’s leadership includes strengthening New York’s right of publicity and digital image rights for the benefit of all members. She has been recognized five years in a row as one of the most noteworthy figures on the front lines of New York by City and State Labor Power 100, and was named to the City and State 2023 Power of Diversity: Women 100 list. She has also been recognized two years in a row by amNY Metro and Politics NY as a Labor Power Player.
In 2018, Damon was honored with the LaborPress Leadership Award for her outstanding advocacy on behalf of SAG-AFTRA members and her long standing dedication and support of the labor movement. Additionally, she was a recipient of the Irish Echo Connecting America Award, the Leaders of Labor Award, the SAG-AFTRA George Heller Memorial Award gold card, and SAG-AFTRA New York Local’s Joseph C. Riley Award.
Damon served as executive vice president, the union’s second-highest elected national office, and also served as president of the New York Local. She is a fierce advocate for education and empowerment of performers nationwide.
During her tenure as Screen Actors Guild New York Division Vice President, she was a founding member of both the SAG President’s Forum for One Union and the joint Group for One Union, helping lead the effort to unite SAG and AFTRA. As co-leader of the Operations Workgroup, Damon was a key architect of the merger.
Outside of SAG-AFTRA, Damon advocates for workers’ rights as a vice president of the New York State AFL-CIO Executive Council and a member of the New York City Central Labor Council. She is a member of the New York City Film and Television Production Industry Council advising on the city’s production policies and programs. She is on the board of PowHer NY, an inclusive statewide network committed to securing economic equality for all women. She is also a vice president of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, an educational, humanitarian and philanthropic nonprofit organization. As the primary liaison for Foundation programming in New York, she oversaw creation of the Robin Williams Center for Entertainment and Media in Times Square.