SAG-AFTRA is keeping Duncan Crabtree-Ireland at the negotiating table for another six years. The union’s National Board has overwhelmingly voted to extend Crabtree-Ireland’s contract through June 20, 2032, while adding chief executive officer to his existing title of national executive director.
His current contract had been scheduled to expire June 21, 2028. The agreement was approved with 98.34% of the vote. Financial and other terms were not disclosed.
Crabtree-Ireland will also continue serving as SAG-AFTRA’s chief negotiator, giving the union continuity as performers confront major shifts involving artificial intelligence, digital replicas, compensation and control over their voices and likenesses.
“To battle giant global transnational corporations, we need expert leadership with a track record of successful bargaining and significant operational management expertise,” SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin said.
Astin credited Crabtree-Ireland with leading the union “at the bargaining table, in the halls of Congress and in boardrooms and conference rooms across the industry and the world.”
REELated:
WGA sounds alarm over billionaire media control after ‘Musk’ ad restrictions
The new CEO designation is intended to better reflect the breadth of Crabtree-Ireland’s responsibilities overseeing the union and its approximately 160,000 members. “Leading SAG-AFTRA’s staff is the honor of my career, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to keep doing this work,” Crabtree-Ireland said.
He pointed specifically to the growing battle surrounding performers’ digital identities.
“As we continue fighting for human creativity, the coming years will be crucial for charting the path forward,” he said. “I intend to fight alongside our leadership to make sure our members control their image, likeness, voice, and destiny in the workplace, and that they are compensated fairly in the process.”
Crabtree-Ireland has served as SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director and chief negotiator during one of the most turbulent periods in the union’s history, including rapidly evolving negotiations over streaming compensation and the use of generative AI. With the new deal, SAG-AFTRA now knows who will be sitting across the table for many of its biggest fights through the beginning of the next decade.
The board said the early extension is intended to provide stability and continuity as those challenges continue reshaping the entertainment industry.
With the new deal, SAG-AFTRA now knows who will be sitting across the table for many of its biggest fights through the beginning of the next decade.
