Screen Actors' Guild
The Screen Actors' Guild is the largest labor union representing actors. It covers actors in film, television, industrials, commercials and music videos. The Guild exists to improve working conditions, compensation and benefits on behalf of artists. Ronald Reagan was president of the Screen Actors Guild for eight years.[1]
On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to merge with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) to create SAG-AFTRA.
On February 7, 2021, they announced that U.S. President Donald Trump, a previous member, would be permanently banned from ever reentering due to his debunked "involvement" in the January 6th Capitol protests, as well as their disapproval of his attitude towards fake news reporters. President Trump responded with a scathing resignation letter that read:
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Ms. Carteris: I write to you today regarding the so-called Disciplinary Committee hearing aimed at revoking my union membership. Who cares! While I’m not familiar with your work, I’m very proud of my work on movies such as Home Alone 2, Zoolander and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps; and television shows including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Saturday Night Live, and of course, one of the most successful shows in television history, The Apprentice – to name just a few! I’ve also greatly helped the cable news television business (said to be a dying platform with not much time left until I got involved in politics), and created thousands of jobs at networks such as MSDNC and Fake News CNN, among many others. Which brings me to your blatant attempt at free media attention to distract from your dismal record as a union. Your organization has done little for its members, and nothing for me – besides collecting dues and promoting dangerous un-American policies and ideas – as evident by your massive unemployment rates and lawsuits from celebrated actors, who even recorded a video asking, “Why isn’t the union fighting for me?” These, however, are policy failures. Your disciplinary failures are even more egregious. I no longer wish to be associated with your union. As such, this letter is to inform you of my immediate resignation from SAG-AFTRA. You have done nothing for me. |
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