With workers’ rights under attack, new labor partnerships like the merger of SAG-AFTRA “represents a bright spot in the union movement," said SAG-AFTRA Co-President Roberta Reardon.

SAG-AFTRA today received a national charter from the AFL-CIO. SAG-AFTRA joins 55 other unions, comprising more than 12 million working men and women, under the AFL-CIO banner. SAG and AFTRA voted to merge earlier this year. 

SAG-AFTRA Co-President Ken Howard says:

This is a terrific capstone to the historic merger of SAG and AFTRA….This charter represents the start of a new chapter for our organization, facing new challenges in a changing entertainment and media landscape, but also presenting limitless opportunities.

SAG-AFTRA now represents more than 150,000 actors, announcers, broadcasters, journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voice-over artists and other media professionals whose work can be seen and heard in theaters, on TV and radio, sound recordings, the Internet, games, mobile devices and home video.

“A lot of people don’t realize what SAG-AFTRA does,” said SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director David White.

Only a small fraction of our 165,000 members are high-profile stars, the rest are dedicated professionals who work hard to feed their families and pay their mortgages. As workers in any other industry, they deserve the rights and protections that only a labor union provides.

SAG and AFTRA received their first charters through the Associated Actors and Artistes of America in the mid-1930s. AFTRA received its direct charter on February 3, 2008.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said:

The AFL-CIO commends the members and leaders for a process that gave every member a chance to weigh in — it’s union democracy at its best. I look forward to the continued leadership of SAG-AFTRA Co-Presidents Ken Howard and Roberta Reardon on the AFL-CIO Executive Council.