For many actors, the Screen Actors Guild has been there knight in shining armor. The Screen Actors Guild was established in 1933 and is now the largest labor union that represents actors and actresses. They have a long history of fighting for actors rights and have continued to do that for the last 74 years. Currently the Screen Actors Guild represents nearly 120,000 actors and actresses in every field of entertainment.
Although actors don’t have to join the Screen actors Guild to become working actors, many do because of the support they get for their rights as actors. The Screen Actors Guild has always fought to improve working conditions and provides working actors with a unified voice that they use to further fight for the rights of an actor. The Screen Actors Guild has been a huge help when it comes to the salaries that actors make and fighting studios that try to take advantage of actors in an effort to fill their own pockets with money.
There are only two ways to become a member of the Screen Actors Guild. The first is that you have to show proof that you are in a project that is a Screen Actors Guild film, videotape, or a television program or commercial as either a principal performer or background actor. The second way is if you are a paid-up member of an affiliated performers union for at least a year and have been paid at least once as a principal performer.
Joining the Screen Actors Union can really help boost your career because it puts you in a league with some of the greatest actors of all time. They also will work to enforce you contracts if needed and work to provide you with better compensation and benefits.