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SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher Says Actors Union is Being Stonewalled Amid Strike | Aug 2023

Published Date
Author McGraw Hill Higher Education

August 2023 | Volume 15, Issue 1

Find the full article on CBS News.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is “SAG-AFTRA?”
    SAG-AFTRA is a union that consolidates the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Actors.

    According to the SAG-AFTRA mission statement:

    SAG-AFTRA brings together two great American labor unions: Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Both were formed in the turmoil of the 1930s, with rich histories of fighting for and securing the strongest protections for media artists. Our members united to form the successor union in order to preserve those hard-won rights and to continue the struggle to extend and expand those protections into the 21st century and beyond. We are actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news directors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voice-over artists and other media professionals. Our work is seen and heard in theaters, on television and radio, sound recordings, the internet, games, mobile devices, and home video: you see us and hear us on all media distribution platforms. We are the faces and the voices that entertain and inform America and the world.
  2. Note in the video that Fran Drescher, president of SAG-AFTRA and an actress herself, claims that communications regarding the dispute are non-existent. Given the fact that communication is required for the resolution of any labor-management dispute, do both sides have an obligation to communicate in good faith? Explain your response.
    Both labor and management do have an obligation to communicate in good faith. This is required by Sections 8(d) and 8(a)(5) of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The NLRA, also known as the Wagner Act, was enacted by the United States Congress in 1935. It is a foundational statute of U.S. labor law that guarantees the right of private sector employees to organize into trade unions, engage in collective bargaining, and take collective action such as strikes.
  3. What is the nature of the dispute in this case? Do you support labor or management in this case? Explain your response.
    Although pay is certainly an issue in this case (as it is in many labor-management disputes), there is actually a wide range of issues. The comprehensive description of each issue as of July 13, 2023 is available for public view. For a comprehensive description of these issues (as of July 13, 2023), please refer to the following internet address:

    Since all labor-management disputes are fluid and fast-changing, your author recommends that you conduct research to determine the current status of this dispute.