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It feels like SAG-AFTRA has been all over the news over the past year, especially after last year’s strike shook the entertainment industry for over three months. Now that the SAG Awards just ended with some newsworthy moments, SAG-AFTRA has probably popped up on your radar once again. You’ve definitely heard the name a few times by now but you might be a little fuzzy on what it stands for. We can help!
What does SAG-AFTRA mean?
SAG-AFTRA stands for the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Originally two separate unions for screen actors, SAG and AFTRA, the two merged into SAG-AFTRA on March 30, 2012. The union represents around 160,000 members as of writing, including actors, dancers, news anchors, voice-over artists, and more.
The union has gone on strike several times in its history, most recently in 2023 when SAG-AFTRA failed to reach a deal with Hollywood studios represented by the AMPTP, or the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (I saved you a search). The strike was the longest one in the union’s history, beating out a 95-day SAG strike in 1980 (via Variety).
In addition to negotiating contracts with studios on behalf of its members, SAG-AFTRA hosts the SAG Awards once a year. The awards ceremony in which members vote in each category, precedes the Oscars and viewers often use the SAG awards to help them determine if their Oscars predictions will come true. If only other labor unions had such hype awards ceremonies.