I became SAG-AFTRA eligible after my work on Cruel Summer in 2020. Eligibility does not expire.

In right-to-work states, employers cannot require employees to join or pay dues to a union as a condition of employment. This also means a company or production based, operating, or filming in a right-to-work state cannot exclusively audition union actors, as actors, like other employees, have the right to choose whether or not to be union members.

SAG-AFTRA acknowledges the legal restrictions in right-to-work states. This means you cannot be required to join if you are working, or the work was performed in, a right-to-work state. Even if you would otherwise be a “must-join”.

Union membership heavily restricts the ability to work on non-union projects. This can stunt growth as an actor by limiting opportunities, especially in right-to-work states with few union projects. It is currently recommended to join when an actor becomes a “must-join” for work done in a non-right-to-work state.

Non-right-to-work states include Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

Right-to-work states include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

I am currently based in Texas.

This is all based on current policies in place. Unions fight for better wages and treatment for workers. Right-to-work states do adversely affect unions and their goals. Because of this, many also refer to them as “right-to-work-for-less” states.