What exactly does “Taft Hartley” mean and how do you jump on the coveted bandwagon? Grab some popcorn, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳…
Once you book your first union job, the producer or CD will need to draft up Taft-Hartley report. You might have heard this referred to as “being Taft-Hartleyed.”
There are few ways to become SAG-eligible without being “Taft-Hartleyed.” One way is to do background work and receive (3) union vouchers.
The other is by reciprocity. If you’ve been a member of Actors’ Equity, ACTRA or one of three smaller performers’ unions (AGMA, AGVA, or GIAA) for one year and have performed as a principal in a production under one of those unions’ contracts you may be eligible to join the union.
Everything else requires a Taft Hartley report. This includes booking a speaking role on a SAG-covered project, being upgraded from background to principal and producing/casting yourself in a new media project.
It is significantly harder to be Taft-Hartleyed in non right-to-work states which is why, if booking more TV in states like CA + NY is high on the list of #actorgoals, you might want to consider the following:
1. Be open to commercials: It’s much, much easier to Taft Hartley actors on commercials than it is in TV. Commercials may not be the end goal, but it’s a great way to get in the union (and the pay aint too shabby!)
2. Self submit: keep self submitting to every union project you can. Sometimes smaller film projects (especially new media) have an easier time Taft Hartly-ing actors
3. Self produce: Have an itch to create? Go for it! If you have the financial means and production resources, you can hire yourself (and Taft Hartley yourself) onto the production.
4. Broaden your reach: If you have the means to (easily) work locally in a right-to-work state, consider getting an agent in that area.
5. Dabble in BG: People tend to love or hate background work. But if you have the time to try it, you might find yourself getting 3 union vouchers sooner than you think.
What job made you eligible for the union?
#themoreyouknow #thecastingdirectorscut #terminologytuesday #actorlife