SAG Member RJ Mitte to Address AFL-CIO Next Up Summit

Breaking Bad actor RJ Mitte is representing Screen Actors Guild this weekend at the 2011 Next Up Summit. The event, taking place in Minneapolis from September 29 – October 2, is hosted by the AFL-CIO and brings together young people to discuss organizing, the recent legislative attacks on workers’ rights and the economic crisis, which has had a disproportionate impact on younger workers. 

Mitte is set to speak Sunday at the event, emphasizing the importance of unions and how being a member of Screen Actors Guild benefitted him during his years as a young performer.

Mitte is also SAG’s national spokesperson for the Tri-Union I AM PWD — Inclusion in the Arts & Media of People with Disabilities — campaign, that seeks employment opportunities for people with disabilities throughout the entertainment and news media, and he uses his high-profile status to draw attention to the need for diversity in casting. He is an ardent supporter of worker’s rights, and recently participated in a Labor Day Tweet-a-Thon, along with dozens of other actors, sports stars and musicians.