A Taft-Hartley is the report a SAG-AFTRA production files when it hires an actor who isn't in the union, and being "Taft-Hartleyed" is the classic way an actor becomes SAG-eligible. The name comes from the 1947 federal labour law that lets union contracts require membership after 30 days of work. Of the 19 casting directors whose answers we read on auditioning non-union actors, most do, but getting one hired is the hard part.
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In acting, a Taft-Hartley is the report a union production files when it hires a performer who isn't a SAG-AFTRA member. When an actor says "I got Taft-Hartleyed", they mean a SAG-AFTRA production hired them as a non-member and reported it to the union. That job usually makes them SAG-eligible.
It isn't automatic. SAG-AFTRA's contracts give qualified professional performers preference of employment, so the producer must explain in writing why it chose a non-member.
It's named after a 1947 US federal labour law. According to the National Labor Relations Board's history of the Act, Senator Robert A. Taft of Ohio and Representative Fred A. Hartley Jr of New Jersey led the push to amend the earlier Wagner Act. President Truman vetoed the bill in June 1947, Congress overrode the veto, and the Labor Management Relations Act became law.
The part that matters to actors is union security. The NLRB's summary of its provisions says the Act made the closed shop illegal, so an employer can't require union membership before hiring you, but allowed agreements requiring membership on or after the 30th day of employment. That is where the 30-day rule actors talk about comes from.
By filing SAG-AFTRA's Taft-Hartley report. The union's report form for principal performers says it must reach SAG-AFTRA within 15 days of the non-member's first day of work (25 days on an overnight location), with the performer's details, the contract, the work dates and the reason for hire. "Other" reasons need a photo and resume attached. Background actors have a separate form, due within 15 working days of the work date.
SAG-AFTRA's New Media Taft-Hartley page sets the same reporting rule for projects under the New Media agreement, which Kym describes as work made for the internet. The paperwork is production's job; yours is to keep your contract and pay stubs.
The principal performers' form lists the reasons SAG-AFTRA expects to see, as of November 2026:
By signing, the employer agrees to pay the union liquidated damages for each breach of the preference of employment rules. The form doesn't print the amounts, and we couldn't verify a figure on sagaftra.org, so we haven't given one.
We read 19 casting directors' answers to whether they audition non-union actors. Fourteen said yes, at least on the right project; five said only sometimes or rarely. Six of them explained the catch: the role has to justify a Taft-Hartley.
Lisa Beach said it's too much hassle for a role a hundred union actors could play, unless the actor is very specific, like a child, or the local talent pool is small. Bonnie Zane said yes for a child, a teenager, a first-time hire or a specialty, but probably not for a 40-year-old character actor. Deborah Barylski said she's selective because it's hard to Taft-Hartley actors, and Lisa Zambetti said her office doesn't do it much any more. Scot Boland said the line producer tells casting whether a role can be Taft-Hartleyed, and Kerry Barden said he has to show he saw union actors and explain why this one is right.
One day in a principal or speaking role under a SAG-AFTRA contract is enough, per the union's steps to join page (updated August 2026). Kym says that in features, that means the theatrical, low budget or modified low budget agreements, plus any union TV show and, perhaps surprisingly, the New Media agreement.
Not every union contract counts. SAG-AFTRA's membership Q&A says Ultra Low Budget, student and short films don't qualify you for membership, and Kym says the same about Ultra Low Budget. If you're unsure, ask the union about the specific contract before you count on it.
Yes, three days of it. Kym explains that union productions must use a minimum number of SAG-AFTRA background actors. When some don't turn up, a non-union extra on set can be given the union voucher for that day. Three days of covered background work makes you eligible, and as Kym points out, it's one union: get in through background and you're in SAG-AFTRA.
Keep your pay stubs. SAG-AFTRA's joining page says background vouchers on their own aren't accepted as proof of work. Our background actor guide covers how to get the work.
SAG-AFTRA's young performers handbook puts it this way: under the Taft-Hartley Act, a non-union performer who works as a principal under a SAG-AFTRA contract has 30 days from the first day of union work. During that window they can work any other job, union or non-union. After the 30th day, they must pay the initiation fee before working under a SAG-AFTRA contract again. That status is usually called "must join".
Kym describes it from her own path as two 30-day windows, the second starting with your next union job, and our SAG-E page explains her version. In Journey step 8, she adds that right-to-work states work differently. Interpretations vary, so confirm your status with your local SAG-AFTRA office before you take or turn down a job because of it.
You're SAG-eligible, and casting directors mostly don't mind. Deborah Barylski told us eligibility belongs on your resume because it means her office doesn't have to Taft-Hartley you. The catch is money: Josh Einsohn warned that productions get fined when a must-join actor doesn't pay, so have the initiation fee set aside before you list yourself as SAG-E. Our SAG-AFTRA dues page has the current fees.
General information only, checked November 2026. Union rules vary by contract and state; check with SAG-AFTRA for your situation.
It is the report a SAG-AFTRA production files when it hires a performer who is not a union member. Being Taft-Hartleyed usually makes that performer eligible to join SAG-AFTRA.
It is a 1947 US federal labour law, formally the Labor Management Relations Act. It banned the closed shop but allowed agreements requiring union membership on or after the 30th day of employment.
SAG-AFTRA's principal performer form says it must be submitted within 15 days of the non-member's first day of work, or 25 days on an overnight location.
SAG-AFTRA's young performers handbook says a non-member who works as a principal on a union contract has 30 days from the first day of union work. After that, they must pay the initiation fee before working another SAG-AFTRA job.
Yes. Three days of work as a background actor under a SAG-AFTRA agreement makes you eligible to join. Keep your pay stubs, because SAG-AFTRA does not accept vouchers alone as proof.
It can be. Six of the casting directors we asked said production must justify hiring a non-member, which is easiest for children, special skills, first-time hires or small local talent pools.
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