Who Are the Major Unions?
While there are many, many more unions in the US than those represented on this page, the following are the most powerful unions representing performing arts laborers--and thus, are the ones discussed here.
Actors' Equity Association, commonly shortened to "Equity," represents Actors and Stage Managers working in live theatre.
SAG-AFTRA was formed by the merger of the Screen Actors' Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. It represents "actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other media professionals."
IATSE, or the " International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada," represents stagehands and craftspeople working in live and recorded entertainment. Organized into chapters known as "Locals," IATSE is widely considered one of the most powerful bargaining unions in the US performing arts.
The American Guild of Musical Artists, or AGMA, "is the labor union that represents artists from numerous disciplines that create America's operatic, dance, and choral heritage." Essentially, if you are a performer in classical music or dance of any kind, but not as an instrumentalist, AGMA is your union.
The American Federation of Musicians, or AFM, is the union for instrumentalists who play in orchestras, bands, symphonies, or solo.
The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, or SDC, represents directors and choreographers working in theatre.