Global Rule One is the SAG-AFTRA rule that members only work for producers who have signed a union agreement, on any job the union covers, anywhere in the world. It binds members of any age, not SAG-eligible actors who have not joined, and breaking it can lead to fines or expulsion. Here is what it says, what counts as non-union work, how it works overseas and where Fi-Core fits, checked on sagaftra.org as of November 2026.
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Global Rule One (GR1) is the union rule that says a SAG-AFTRA member may not perform for, or agree to perform for, any employer that hasn't signed a SAG-AFTRA agreement that is in full force, wherever the union has a national agreement covering that kind of work. The union's own Global Rule One page adds: "This provision applies worldwide."
SAG-AFTRA's plain-English version is that "a SAG-AFTRA member must always work under a union contract around the globe." The union calls it a founding principle: members stand together and don't work without a contract, which keeps pay, protections and pension and health contributions in place.
Ben Whitehair puts it simply in our library: when you join, you're agreeing not to do non-union projects for as long as you're a member.
It applies to members. The union's young performers handbook is clear that this means a member "regardless of age", so child and teen members are bound too.
If you're SAG-eligible but haven't joined, you aren't a member yet, so Global Rule One doesn't bind you. That's why Kym, in Journey step 8, suggests staying SAG-eligible for as long as you can while non-union work still helps your career. Being eligible has its own rules, though, including when you become a "must join" to keep working union jobs; our SAG-E page explains them.
Yes. As of November 2026, SAG-AFTRA's Global Rule One page says the rule applies worldwide, and members are responsible for confirming a producer is a SAG-AFTRA signatory before working anywhere in the world.
There's one nuance. The union says the rule doesn't automatically apply where it has no national agreement in place, unless there's an active organising effort, and its National Board can decide it applies anyway. Its advice is to assume the rule applies until an authorised SAG-AFTRA representative confirms otherwise. If you live abroad, it asks you to contact the relevant contracts department.
Ben Whitehair agrees: the "global" part means overseas work counts, and which contracts cover which countries varies, so call the union before you say yes. SAG-AFTRA also has a short video on booking international jobs.
Any performing job for a producer who hasn't signed the relevant SAG-AFTRA agreement, in an area the union covers. The union's GR1 page names films, scripted TV, commercials, and interactive and new media as areas with industry-wide agreements.
Work the union doesn't cover at all isn't caught. Ben Whitehair says the main example for actors is print work, such as magazine shoots, and that almost everything else is probably covered, so call SAG-AFTRA if you're unsure.
Your own projects count too. Filmmaker Melissa Center reminds members in our library that if you're SAG-AFTRA and making a short, it needs to go through a SAG-AFTRA agreement; the union's website walks you through it, so leave enough lead time.
Non-union jobs also basically never pay residuals, as Ben notes, which is one of the trade-offs.
Use the union's Signatory Search to look up current signatory productions, and ask production (or your agent) which SAG-AFTRA agreement the job is under. A union job will have a SAG-AFTRA contract for you to sign.
If anything is unclear, SAG-AFTRA's GR1 page lists contacts for theatrical, TV and new media questions, plus each contracts department. The union's general line is (855) 724-2387. Asking before you accept is always easier than explaining afterwards.
According to SAG-AFTRA, violating Global Rule One "can result in disciplinary action ranging from reprimands to fines to expulsion." That's on the union's GR1 page as of November 2026.
Ben Whitehair describes what that looks like in practice: if you're found out, you go before a disciplinary committee, you can be fined, and you can be removed from SAG-AFTRA. His bigger point is that working "off the card" undercuts everyone. If union actors will work non-union, producers have less reason to pay union rates or keep union conditions.
Financial core (Fi-Core) is a status in which a performer resigns from SAG-AFTRA membership and becomes a fee-paying non-member. Because Global Rule One binds members, some performers look at Fi-Core when they want to take non-union work.
SAG-AFTRA's financial core page (updated August 2026) sets out what changes:
Ben Whitehair explains that Fi-Core rests on a Supreme Court ruling that applies to unions generally. Both he and Kym urge members not to take it, because they see it weakening the union's bargaining power. It's a big decision with lasting effects, so talk to the union before you act.
It should shape your timing. Ben Whitehair's test is to ask: will one more non-union job help my career? When the answer was no for him, and he wanted guaranteed protections like meal breaks and help if a production didn't pay, he joined.
Kym's view is to stay SAG-eligible for as long as you can, because non-union commercials in particular can pay well and build relationships with commercial casting directors. She also suggests that once you're eligible you can probably stop self-submitting for non-union jobs, because union work puts you alongside stronger actors on better-budgeted projects.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Check your situation with SAG-AFTRA before you accept a job you're unsure about.
Global Rule One says a SAG-AFTRA member may not work for, or agree to work for, any producer that has not signed a SAG-AFTRA agreement where the union has one in place. SAG-AFTRA says it applies worldwide.
No. It binds members. If you are SAG-eligible but have not joined, you can still take non-union work, although eligibility has its own must-join rules.
Yes. SAG-AFTRA says the rule applies worldwide and asks members to assume it applies until an authorised union representative confirms otherwise.
Our SAG-AFTRA expert Ben Whitehair says print work is the main example of work the union does not cover, so it falls outside Global Rule One. Call the union if you are unsure about a job.
SAG-AFTRA says violating Global Rule One can result in disciplinary action ranging from reprimands to fines to expulsion.
Financial core means resigning SAG-AFTRA membership and becoming a fee-paying non-member. You can no longer present yourself as a member and you lose member-only benefits.
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