August 12, 2025

Dear Fellow Members,

I write to you today with a full heart. It is election time at our union, and I am running to become your next President. With humility and respect, I ask for your vote. 

This is an urgent time for our union. It’s been two years since our historic strike, and we are about to head into our next TV/Theatrical W&W process. Remember, (W)ages & (W)orking Conditions, are where all of you who work the contract can come into meetings, share your experience, and voice your concerns. If you’ve never attended, I urge you to. This is the hands-on touch point that connects all of you to this and every negotiation.

Our union bargains over (120) Contracts, including: Broadcast, Audiobook, Influencer, Interactive Media, and so many more. As a member of the National Executive Committee, I have overseen many dozens of them. 

I am proud to have served on (5) Negotiating Committees:

•  Netflix (pre-joining AMPTP)

• 2023 TV/Theatrical

• Animation

• Commercials

• Nickelodeon

With each experience, I have listened closely and learned in great detail so many of the issues that members in our “Categorical” groups face: Actors, Stunts, Background, Singers, Dancers, Puppeteers & Pilots. 

It is deeply important to me to go into each negotiation, working with each team, with strength, wisdom, creativity, and passion, to advocate ferociously for all of your concerns. 

As one of your (80) National Board Members and a Member of the Los Angeles Local Board, I’ve dedicated myself to learning and understanding the countless array of issues and dynamics that must be managed on your behalf. As your President, I intend to help maximize our efficiency and tackle each one with openness and determination.

No matter what happens in the industry, from disruptions due to strikes, economic downturns, natural disasters, and any other challenges, working on your behalf never stops. We have a dedicated staff. As your President, I will be committed to leading our National Board in providing focused and exacting oversight of all of our operations. Remember, no matter the ambitions of any administration, the union must deliver results:

• Negotiating and enforcing contracts

• Protecting members on the job

• Securing and administering benefits

• Collecting and distributing residuals

• Defending members’ rights

• Organizing new work

• Providing member support and resources

• Legislative and public advocacy

There are a few areas of particular concern to me that will require the political will of your President and the Board to address.

First, we are a National Union with 25 Locals. Los Angeles and New York are the largest, securing $1.6 billion in tax incentives. Across the country, as the entertainment diaspora continues, the 23 locals outside of Los Angeles and New York are seeing an increasing amount of work. They are bringing in new members and flipping non-union projects, providing services, and more. Yet, they face very real geographic discrimination.  

As your President, I will work closely with each and every Local President and Board to ensure that they are getting the support they need to reach their growth potential, address their varied concerns, and operate with the confidence that their union values and supports them. 

 While we have finally begun to make our employers understand that the Casting process deserves to be treated respectfully, we have a lot of work to do to protect our performers as they shoulder the responsibility of delivering professional quality self-tapes.

We must hold casting platforms accountable. The predatory behavior of charging for access and other unfair and disrespectful practices must stop. 

It’s also time to put serious effort into improving SAG-AFTRA’s relationship with the Association of Talent Agents (ATA). Performers rely on their union to make sure that their agents are operating responsibly and appropriately.  

Artificial Intelligence is the greatest change that society has experienced since the Industrial Revolution, if not the invention of the wheel. Our members are rightly concerned with the ethical implications of this technology and recognize AI for the absolute threat that it is.

I’m proud to have participated in Congressional Round-Tables on AI and testified in Sacramento on the ways in which AI is already impacting our workforce.

I would add that we have many brilliant and devoted member volunteers who also continue to push the organization to do more and do better. I will honor their contributions and seek to ensure that the union remains open to input on this and so many issues.

We have a sacred obligation to provide world-class coverage to our Health Plan Participants. 

SAG-AFTRA Health Plan Coverage is too far out of reach for many of our working members. The catastrophe of pushing thousands of Seniors off the plan should never have happened. Discriminating against seniors can’t be the way our union addresses the high costs of healthcare.

Moreover, I believe that Residuals should count toward every member’s qualifying for the Health Plan. If the government taxes it and the union charges you more because of it… your residuals should count. 

As your President, I will work to provide the board with the most comprehensive reports on the effectiveness of our plan and trustees, and ensure that we exhaust every option to address the deficiencies. 

The SAG Pension Plan and the AFTRA Retirement Fund remain separate entities. This dynamic is fundamentally flawed. It is the greatest unresolved task from merger. Participants in both plans must be protected, and the structure must be made stable. As your president, I will bring creativity and focus as the organization strives to find a solution. Our members deserve to work and build their pensions with absolute confidence that their retirement funds are secure. 

Finally, our union must continue to accelerate our efforts to modernize our operations. Our website is a source of extreme disappointment for many. You should all feel at home on your site. The industry should know that doing business with us and our members is a 21st-century experience —smooth, comprehensive, and efficient. I will work to ensure that we have all the necessary resources to deliver a world-class product.

I am proud to be running for your top officer position with a brilliant and energetic running mate. Michelle Hurd, a longtime National Board member and health plan trustee, is a powerful voice in the union. As your National Secretary/Treasurer, I know that she will bring vigilance and discernment to her task. 

I come from Los Angeles, and I want to convey my enthusiasm for LA’s officer Candidates. Joely Fisher will bring her extraordinary talent and passion for the well-being of every member into this new role as President of the Los Angeles Local. She’s done a brilliant job as your Secretary/Treasurer. Lisa Ann Walter and David Jolliffe bring an explosive mixture of talent and experience to their indefatigable union service and will serve you well as your Los Angeles Local Vice-Presidents.

TheCoalition2025.org is our team of Los Angeles Candidates: Officers, National Board, Local Board, and Los Angeles Delegates. I urge you to vote for all of them. Visit our site to read our Mission Statement, our Platform, our Bios, and more.

On a personal note, it has been quite a journey for me in this business. I come from a family of actors: my parents, John Astin & Patty Duke, and my brother, Mackenzie Astin, who is a powerful working-class actor, and now, Ali Astin, my eldest, is hard at work on set this very day. 

I joined Legacy SAG in 1981. My mother was elected President of our union in 1985. When people ask me why I’m doing all of this work with my union, I say it’s because I love it. I love the countless hours of Committee meetings, I’ve served on nearly 20 of them. I love the debates. I love the issues. I love it all.  

I share with folks what it feels like to have advocated for members by making an argument in favor of a stunt proposal or a background problem, or on any other issue, and that by using a lifetime of curiosity and care for my colleagues, I helped people. And I tell them that I feel called to this union leadership. I pray that my mom looks down and smiles. I want to carry on her legacy of service and to make my wife of 34 years, Christine, and our three daughters, Ali, Elizabeth, and Isabella, proud.

There are two accomplishments of mine that I’d love to share. I earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and Public Policy from American University (2024). And, I mention just for fun, that I completed the Ironman Triathlon in Kona, HI, in 2015. I think these two achievements demonstrate who I am as a critical thinker and someone driven to achieve big things.

I want and hope that all who know me or come to know me will see who I am at the core of my being. I am an actor. I love our craft, I love our process, and I love our union. 

It would be the honor of a lifetime if you elect me to be your next President.

Sean Astin,  

Candidate – National President