ABSTRACT
There are two major labor unions representing actors: The Actors’ Equity Association (AEA)—commonly referred to as simply “Equity,” which has jurisdiction over union stage productions, and The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), which covers union film, television, and internet projects. In this chapter, the authors break down the eligibility procedures for each of these, as well as the pros and cons of joining when eligible. They also field questions about when to join, union policies on access to auditions, Global Rule One—which states that union actors cannot work on nonunion projects—and the penalties for violation, Financial Core, the “4A” sister unions, right-to-work states, and even whether there’s ever a case to be made for withdrawal.
