Actor Unions Part Ways

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On Saturday the unions representing film and television actors voted to sever ties with each other. The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists is now a separate entity of the Screen Actors Guild.

For 27 years the unions have been together and had hoped that they could make peace as they prepared for upcoming talks but instead of strategy planning on Saturday the two groups fired accusations back and forth.

As AP reports: “For the past year SAG leadership in Hollywood has engaged in a relentless campaign of disinformation and disparagement,” AFTRA president Roberta Reardon said in a written statement.

SAG President Alan Rosenberg’s written response: “AFTRA’s refusal now to bargain together with us and their last-second abandonment of the joint process is calculated, cynical and may serve the interests of their institution, but not its members.”

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers will begin bargaining with AFTRA soon. That union did not mention SAG.

SAG represents actors in movies, TV and other media with 120,000 members. AFTRA has a smaller member count with 70,000 and is represented by TV and radio federations that include actors, singers, announcers and journalists.

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