The Screen Actors Guild

The Screen Actors Guild was a labor union that represented over 100,000 film and television actors, including Hollywood stars like Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, and Humphrey Bogart. The union was founded in 1933 by a group of actors, including Eddie Cantor, Bud Abbott, and Ralph Morgan, with the goal of improving working conditions and pay for actors in the film industry. The Screen Actors Guild worked closely with other entertainment industry unions, such as the Writers Guild of America, West and the Directors Guild of America, to negotiate contracts and resolve labor disputes. Many notable actors, including Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, and Denzel Washington, have been members of the union and have served on its board of directors, alongside other industry professionals like Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese.

● History

The Screen Actors Guild was founded in 1933, during the Great Depression, when many actors were struggling to find work and were being exploited by film studios like Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros.. The union's early leaders, including Eddie Cantor and Ralph Morgan, worked to establish a minimum wage and improve working conditions for actors, and the union quickly gained recognition from the National Labor Relations Board and the American Federation of Labor. The Screen Actors Guild played a key role in the Hollywood Blacklist era, when many actors, including Dalton Trumbo and Larry Adler, were banned from working in the industry due to their alleged ties to the Communist Party USA. The union also worked to support actors during the Red Scare, when many were called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee, including Elia Kazan and Lee J. Cobb. Other notable actors who were affected by the blacklist include Orson Welles, Joseph Losey, and Abby Mann.

● Organization

The Screen Actors Guild was headquartered in Los Angeles, California, and had offices in New York City and other major cities. The union was led by a president, who was elected by the membership, and a board of directors, which included representatives from different regions and sectors of the industry, such as television and film. The union had a number of departments, including a contracts department, which negotiated collective bargaining agreements with film studios and television networks, and a residuals department, which handled payments to actors for reuse of their work, such as reruns of I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners. The Screen Actors Guild also had a number of committees, including a merger committee, which worked to merge the union with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and a diversity committee, which worked to increase opportunities for underrepresented groups in the industry, such as women in film and minority actors, including Sidney Poitier and Rita Moreno.

● Membership

The Screen Actors Guild had over 100,000 members, including film actors, television actors, and other performers, such as dancers and stunt performers. To be eligible for membership, an actor had to have worked in a SAG-covered production, such as a film or television show, and had to pay dues to the union. Members of the Screen Actors Guild included many notable actors, such as Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Denzel Washington, as well as other industry professionals, such as agents and managers, including Creative Artists Agency and William Morris Endeavor. The union also had a number of honorary members, including Laurence Olivier and Ingrid Bergman, who were recognized for their contributions to the industry, such as their work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Cannes Film Festival.

● Awards

The Screen Actors Guild presented a number of awards to recognize excellence in acting, including the Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role, which has been won by actors such as Daniel Day-Lewis and Sean Penn, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role, which has been won by actresses such as Meryl Streep and Kate Winslet. The union also presented awards for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture, which has been won by films such as Chicago and The King's Speech, and outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series, which has been won by shows such as Mad Men and Downton Abbey. Other notable awards presented by the union include the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, which has been awarded to actors such as James Earl Jones and Clint Eastwood, and the Ralph Morgan Award, which has been awarded to actors such as Karl Malden and Richard Dreyfuss.

● Labor Disputes

The Screen Actors Guild has been involved in a number of labor disputes over the years, including a strike in 1980, which lasted for several months and resulted in a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, and a lockout in 2007, which lasted for several weeks and resulted in a new contract with the television networks, including ABC, CBS, and NBC. The union has also been involved in disputes with other industry unions, such as the Writers Guild of America, West, which has resulted in joint bargaining agreements and strikes, including the Writers Guild of America strike in 2007-2008, which affected shows such as Lost and Desperate Housewives. Other notable labor disputes involving the union include the SAG-AFTRA strike in 2016-2017, which resulted in a new contract with the video game industry, and the actors' strike in 2019-2020, which resulted in a new contract with the film studios, including Universal Pictures and Warner Bros..

● Merger with AFTRA

In 2012, the Screen Actors Guild merged with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists to form SAG-AFTRA, a new union that represents over 160,000 film and television actors, as well as radio and television personalities, including news anchors and disc jockeys. The merger was approved by the membership of both unions and was seen as a way to increase the bargaining power of actors and other performers in the industry, particularly in the areas of new media and digital distribution, including streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. The new union, SAG-AFTRA, is headquartered in Los Angeles and has offices in New York City and other major cities, and is led by a president, Gabrielle Carteris, and a board of directors, which includes representatives from different regions and sectors of the industry, such as film and television. Other notable leaders of the union include Ken Howard and Rebecca Damon, who have worked to promote the interests of actors and other performers in the industry, including minority actors and women in film, such as Viola Davis and Emma Stone.