A Message From National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland

Today is Labor Day and your commitment to your profession and your colleagues continues to make headlines while inspiring a global movement of empowered workers. 

Your tenacity and your indomitable spirit have captivated the public and created a groundswell of support from individuals from all across the political spectrum. 

Labor actions have a long and proud tradition, and no significant gains have ever come without a struggle. Today is a day to remember their bravery, as well as to acknowledge our own resilience. 

So many of you have talked to me about how we cannot back down — that the issues we’re striking over are an existential threat to the profession of acting. I couldn’t agree more.

Studios counted on fatigue and a fragmenting of the membership, and they have unsuccessfully attempted to foment infighting, but SAG-AFTRA members — you — understand that solidarity is our most powerful weapon. And we have never been more unified. Whether you work the TV/Theatrical contract or are an ally, your involvement in this action is building a better future for the entire profession. 

Our sacrifices over the last several weeks, and the weeks to come, will not only ensure that performers have a career to return to, but that acting will be a viable career for future generations.  

On this 53rd day of the SAG-AFTRA strike, the essence of Labor Day is embodied in you. Take the time to celebrate this moment. Decades from now you may be revisiting your photos from the summer of 2023 and realizing that you were a part of one of the most important chapters in entertainment industry history. 

I’m looking forward to seeing you and our WGA peers at rallies and on the picket lines in the coming weeks, and I’m ready at a moment’s notice to get back to the negotiating table, as soon as the AMPTP is ready to bargain in good faith.

This is one fight that corporate greed won’t win. Stand strong. SAG-AFTRA strong.

Stronger together,

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland
National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator