In the wake of studios rolling back equity pledges under the Trump administration, SAG-AFTRA’s national
board passed a resolution this weekend acknowledging the vital role that diversity and accessibility plays in the entertainment industry and reaffirmed the union’s commitment to these principles.
In recent weeks, major studios have silently scrubbed their websites of DEI commitments and dropped commitments to equitable hiring and promotion practices as the White House rails against these initiatives in both the federal and private sector. SAG-AFTRA pushed back against this trend and highlighted the union’s historic commitments to the authentic portrayal of the “American Scene,” which references a contract clause that affirmed a nondiscrimination policy across productions.
“For decades, SAG-AFTRA has advocated for equal employment opportunity within the entertainment and media industry, including meaningful representation of historically underrepresented communities and holding employers accountable to their commitments,” said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher and SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland in a joint announcement. “That advocacy continues unabated, and is as important now as it has ever been. We will be engaging directly with employers to reaffirm their obligations under the various SAG-AFTRA contracts and that they remain in full compliance with those commitments.”
- AFL-CIO Daily Brief