Description
The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is an American labor union representing approximately 160,000 media professionals worldwide. SAG-AFTRA is a member of the AFL–CIO, the largest federation of unions in the United States.[5] SAG-AFTRA is also a member of the International Federation of Actors (FIA).
History
The organization was formed on March 30, 2012, following the merger of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. In January 2013, Variety reported that the merger had proceeded with "few bumps", amid shows of good will on both sides. The stickiest remaining problem was reported to be the merger of the two pension funds, in part as a way of dealing with the issue of performers who paid into each plan but did not quite earn enough under either of the old plans to qualify for a pension.
Ken Howard was the first president of the merged union. Upon his death, he was succeeded by Gabrielle Carteris in 2016. On September 2, 2021, Fran Drescher of the Unite for Strength faction was elected president. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland is the current National Executive Director; he has occupied this role since 2021.
SAG-AFTRA is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, and in New York City, in addition to other local offices nationwide.
