ABSTRACT
Since the majority of actors and crew members in the entertainment industry are independent contractors, unions and guilds are an integral part of the industry. According to the California Film Commission, there are at least 16 guilds or unions for the industry. This chapter focuses on the four organizations that have the most impact on production outside of LA: The Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), The Directors Guild of America (DGA), and the Teamsters. SAG-AFTRA represents more than 160,000 performers. IATSE, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada represents more than 130,000 behind-the-scenes workers. DGA protects the "creative and economic rights" of the directing team; it currently has 16,000 members. Independent producers can find the negotiations to be more challenging, since the Teamsters are not a traditional entertainment union.
