Catherwood LibraryILR School

First proposed in 1937 and most recently defeated in 1999, a consolidation of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) once again seems within the realm of possibility. The two largest unions in the entertainment industry are once again considering the idea of an alliance between the 100,000-member SAG representing film, commercial and prime-time TV actors, and the 70,000-member AFTRA representing radio broadcasters, videotape, soap opera, game show and variety show actors. In order to avoid the concerns over a loss of representation and incompatible benefit structures that led SAG members to block a more comprehensive merger four years ago, the current talks are focusing on a consolidation that would provide more autonomy for the two unions already linked by a 45,000-member overlap.