SAG/AFTRA>>>>GREAT INFO FOR NON MEMBERS

IN MY OPINION:

WILLIAM REYNOLDS

SAG/AFTRA>>>>GREAT INFO FOR NON MEMBERS

When the two unions merged in 2013 after decades of discussion, they created a 160,000-member organization that combines bits and pieces of its predecessors. Look closely and you'll find the old and the new, mixed together, sometimes confusingly.

So what does this behemoth mean for you, the non-member? Most important -- how do you get in?
**Getting Taft-Hartleyed. One way a person is eligible, according to the SAG-AFTRA constitution, is if he or she "(h)as worked, is working or is about to work in a position covered by a SAG-AFTRA (or AFTRA or SAG) collective bargaining agreement." In other words, once you book your first union gig, you're SAG-AFTRA eligible.
 ****That's right: You don't have to be a member of the union to get that first union job. You do have to be a good actor and not just a dreamer through  hard work and getting a little lucky. but you already knew that...right?.. Getting in this way is sometimes referred to as being "Taft-Hartleyed," which refers to part of the federal labor law.

****Background Vouchers 'being an extra'. The rule is different if you're working background. To get in that way, you "must have completed three (3) days of work as a background actor under a SAG-AFTRA (or AFTRA or SAG) collective bargaining agreement." Some background positions on union shows are considered union positions, and others are not. You'll get a voucher if you work a union background job, and your goal is to collect three vouchers.

*****Upgrade to Principal. If you're working a background job (or as an extra in a commercial), it's sometimes possible to be upgraded to principal -- for instance, if you're directed to a line of dialogue. This is rare, but if it happens, not only do you get paid more, but it also makes you SAG-AFTRA eligible.

AND FOR YOU NON-UNION ACTORS...THAT LIVE IN THE ATL>>>>THIS COULD BE YOUR AVENUE FOR SUCCESS