What is the purpose of the SAG?
SAG-AFTRA is committed to organizing all work done under our jurisdictions; negotiating the best wages, working conditions, and health and pension benefits; preserving and expanding members' work opportunities; vigorously enforcing our contracts; and protecting members against unauthorized use of their work.
Member Benefits
SAG-AFTRA members are entitled to a variety of benefits, including contracts/collective bargaining, eligibility for the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan, SAG-Producers Pension Plan, the AFTRA Retirement Fund, the iActor online casting database, and much more.
SAG actors are paid weekly for their time: $4,520 per week for appearing in every episode, $5,042 per week for appearing in more than half, and $5,897 per week for appearing in half.
Since 1961, the SAG-Producers Pension Plan has provided retirement benefits to entertainment industry professionals. Benefits include a Regular Pension at age 65, a subsidized Early Retirement Pension for qualified participants at age 55, and a Disability Pension for totally disabled participants.
To join SAG, a performer must pay an initiation fee plus the first semi-annual basic dues. The national initiation fee rate is currently $3,000 (initiation fees may be lower in some areas). Annual base dues are $201.96. In addition, work dues are calculated at 1.575 percent of covered earnings up to $500,000..
Do you have to have a SAG card to be an actor? You do not need a SAG card to be an actor! You can act in non-union productions for as long as you like, but if you eventually want to perform in bigger projects, like network-level film & television, joining the union will be a must.
It has long been a rite of passage for actors to become eligible for SAG and, eventually, to get their SAG cards. It represents a kind of validation because of the talent and effort it takes to become eligible. It is a positive sign of a promising acting career that might soon follow.
1st and 2nd Auditions: No payment is due for the first hour from the call time or arrival time, whichever is later. For each additional half-hour, a performer is entitled to $42.00.
SAG forced calls
A forced call penalty is also incurred if performers are not given a full 56-hour rest period between work weeks (54 hours for studio locations).
The past: The SAG winner has gone on to win the Oscar 18 times in 27 years, including Daniel Kaluuya's victory for “Judas and the Black Messiah” last year. Will history repeat itself?
How does SAG protect actors?
SAG contracts with producers contained a variety of protections for Guild performers. Among these provisions were: minimum rates of pay, adequate working conditions, special protection and education requirements for minors, arbitration of disputes and grievances, and affirmative action in auditions and hiring.
Mission Statement. SAG-AFTRA brings together two great American labor unions: Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Both were formed in the turmoil of the 1930s, with rich histories of fighting for and securing the strongest protections for media artists.
