SAG-AFTRA Members Speak at UCLA Labor Studies Lecture

SAG-AFTRA Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee Chair Sarah Elmaleh and committee member Zeke Alton were guest speakers at a UCLA lecture on Dec. 4.

The lecture was the final class of a semester-long course led by UCLA Labor Studies Lecturer Dr. Trevor Griffey called Introduction to Labor and Social Movements in Los Angeles. The class covered the rise and decline of labor union membership from the 1930s through the 1990s; the labor movement’s revival in Southern California; and the challenges labor faces and its future. Elmaleh and Alton’s visit coincided with the course’s final class.

Elmaleh and Alton discussed with UCLA students their involvement as unionists and performers. In addition to sharing their professional journeys and early impressions as SAG-AFTRA members, they shared personal anecdotes about their firsthand experiences with the 2024 video game strike and discussed artificial intelligence’s impact on their careers.

Photo: SAG-AFTRA Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee member Zeke Alton and Chair Sarah Elmaleh share their experiences at UCLA professor Dr. Trevor Griffey’s “Introduction to Labor and Social Movements” class on Dec. 4. Photo courtesy of UCLA.