SAG's membership is made up of more
than 120,000 movie actors and actresses, as well as
television performers. SAG also has members in many
countries internationally.
SAG works daily to ensure
that the proper working conditions are met for its
members. This includes making sure that performers are
receiving benefits and fair pay and that all royalties
for their work are received. As with all unions, SAG
works hard to make sure that its members are able to
find work.
The SAG associates itself with the AAAA (the
Associated Actors and Artistes of America and the
AFL-CIO). Film productions, or motion pictures, fall
under the sole jurisdiction of SAG. TV drama, film
drama, internet, radio, and all other media are shared
with another union called AFTRA (American Federation of
Television and Radio Artists). SAG has many offices
across the United States and around the world. Its main
office is appropriately located in Hollywood, CA.
Abuses of movie actors and actresses, along with
other actors, were a common activity in Hollywood prior
to the creation of the Screen Actors Guild. Many
performers would find themselves working long hours with
no opportunities to take a break.
Contracts, drafted by the studio's attorneys, took
advantage of the performers as well, as they gave
Hollywood unfair control of both their personal and
professional lives. Unknown to the performer, contracts
were often renewed discreetly by the studio, and the
performer would then find themselves unable to opt out
of the contract because they were unaware of certain
clauses that the studios had added.
The Screen Actors Guild was started in 1925 under the
name of the Masquers Club. The Masquers Club was created
because of a need, by a group of about eight of them, to
put a stop to the abuses that the studios were forcing
onto its performers.
Film actors who had no contract found themselves
facing even worse conditions than did those with a
contract, and some actors and actresses had had enough.
The Masquers Club officially became the Screen Actors
Guild in 1933. In 1937, the passage of the National
Labor Relations Act prompted Hollywood producers to
agree to negotiate and work with the SAG labor union.
