UNION LITERACY EDUCATION

Ask yourself: Why doesn’t SAG-AFTRA educate us about our union?

ISSUE: SAG-AFTRA members are not currently required to attend a member orientation.

  • Orientations are not regularly offered nor are they uniform in content across all our Locals.

  • Most of our members never learn the basics about our union and how everything works, let alone our contracts, which can lead to confusion, contract violations, enforcement issues, and claims that could have been prevented.

  • Members can’t assert their rights if they’re not aware of them.

WHY IS THIS AN ISSUE:
A study by the United Association for Labor Education (UALE) states that high-quality member orientations have a positive impact on both member commitment to the union and in getting members to participate, thus are an absolutely necessary investment in the short and long-term future of a union.

WHAT IS OUR SOLUTION:
MembershipFirst wants to create a standardized, high-quality member orientation nationwide to educate members and pre-members effectively about SAG-AFTRA:

  • Our union’s governance

  • How to participate

  • Benefits of membership

  • Member categories

  • Contracts

  • Constitutions

  • Locals

  • Support companies

  • Our sister unions, guilds, and associations.

In conjunction, we intend to invest in the creation of engaging, easy-to-understand educational videos about all things union to aid in increasing members’ union literacy.

MembershipFirst appreciates and supports the great work of the grassroots Union education group SOLIDARITY and their Union Literacy Guide as a great foundation for such orientations.