# Navigating Film Unions: A Guide to the DGA, SAG-AFTRA, and IATSE

Source: https://storiara.com/blog/navigating-film-unions-a-guide-to-the-dga-sag-aftra-and-iatse
Last updated: 2026-09-14
Author: Nick Harty, Storiara

> US film productions deal with four main labor groups. The DGA covers directors, UPMs, and assistant directors; SAG-AFTRA covers performers; IATSE locals cover most below-the-line crafts; and the Teamsters cover drivers and, in Hollywood, location and casting professionals. A signatory production follows each agreement's rates, meal and rest rules, and benefit contributions, and violations become claims or grievances.

## Who each union covers

Most US scripted productions deal with some mix of the groups below. Each one has its own agreement, its own paperwork, and its own benefit plans, and a production signs each agreement separately.

| Union | Who it covers on a film | What the production signs |
|---|---|---|
| [DGA](https://storiara.com/glossary/dga) (Directors Guild of America) | Director, [UPM](https://storiara.com/roles/unit-production-manager), [1st AD](https://storiara.com/roles/first-assistant-director), [2nd AD](https://storiara.com/roles/second-assistant-director); associate directors and stage managers in TV | Basic Agreement or a low-budget agreement |
| [SAG-AFTRA](https://storiara.com/glossary/sag-aftra) | Principal performers, stunt performers and coordinators, singers, dancers, background actors in covered zones | Theatrical or TV agreement, or a low-budget tier |
| [IATSE](https://storiara.com/glossary/iatse) | Most below-the-line crafts through locals: camera, grip, electric, art, costume, makeup, sound, editing, script supervision, office | Basic Agreement (Hollywood locals), Area Standards Agreement, or a low-budget agreement |
| [Teamsters Local 399](https://storiara.com/glossary/teamsters-local-399) | Drivers, location professionals, casting professionals, animal wranglers, mechanics, dispatchers (Hollywood and New Mexico) | Local 399 agreements |
| WGA (Writers Guild of America) | Screenwriters | Minimum Basic Agreement |

A production can be signatory to one union and not another. Plenty of independent features sign with SAG-AFTRA so they can cast union actors and hire non-union crew. Members are the ones bound: SAG-AFTRA's Global Rule One says no member shall work for an employer who hasn't signed a basic minimum agreement with the union where one exists, and the union says this applies worldwide. A producer's choice of agreements usually follows from who they want to hire.

## How IATSE locals divide the crew

IATSE is organized into locals. Some are national or regional craft guilds, and some are mixed locals covering many crafts in one city or state. The Hollywood locals are the ones people reference most:

| Local | Crafts |
|---|---|
| Local 80 | Motion picture grips, craft service, marine, first aid, warehouse |
| Local 600 | International Cinematographers Guild (camera) |
| Local 700 | Motion Picture Editors Guild |
| Local 800 | Art Directors Guild: production designers, art directors, set designers, illustrators, graphic artists, previs artists |
| Local 871 | Script supervisors, production coordinators, art department coordinators, production and payroll accountants, writers' room assistants |

The Hollywood locals work under the IATSE Basic Agreement with the AMPTP. The 2024 agreement runs from August 1, 2024 through July 31, 2027, with minimum wages rising 7%, then 4%, then 3.5%, compounded. Productions shooting in many other parts of the country work under the Area Standards Agreement instead, and the rules there are not identical. A UPM who learned turnaround on a Los Angeles series shouldn't assume the same numbers in Georgia.

For the DGA side of hiring, signatory employers give preference of employment to people on the DGA Qualification Lists for UPM, 1st AD, and 2nd AD. Those lists are maintained by DGA Contract Administration and split into Southern California, Third Area, New York, and commercial lists. For many Los Angeles IATSE crafts, the equivalent gate is Contract Services' Industry Experience Roster.

## Agreements by budget

Most independent films don't work under full studio terms. SAG-AFTRA, the DGA, and IATSE all offer lower-budget agreements that reduce rates and relax some rules.

SAG-AFTRA's are the easiest to show with numbers. Its 2026 TV/Theatrical agreement runs July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2030, with minimums rising 3% each July 1. The theatrical wage table puts a day performer at $1,283 and a weekly performer at $4,456 from July 1, 2026. The low-budget tiers are percentages of those figures:

| Agreement | Budget limit | Day performer from 7/1/2026 | Weekly performer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ultra Low Budget (UPA) | No more than $300,000, shot entirely in the US | $257 (20% of basic) | Not offered |
| Moderate Low Budget (MPA) | Less than $700,000; $950,000 with the Diversity-in-Casting Incentive | $449 (35% of basic) | $1,560 |
| Low Budget Theatrical (LBA) | Less than $2,000,000; $3,000,000 with the Diversity-in-Casting Incentive | $834 (65% of basic) | $2,896 |
| Basic theatrical | Above the tiers | $1,283 | $4,456 |

The budget limit counts all above-the-line and below-the-line costs, including deferred pay. The [SAG-AFTRA low-budget agreements guide](https://storiara.com/blog/sag-aftra-low-budget-agreements) goes through each tier, and the crew side is covered in the [DGA low-budget agreement](https://storiara.com/blog/dga-low-budget-agreement) and [IATSE low-budget theatrical agreement](https://storiara.com/blog/iatse-low-budget-theatrical-agreement) posts.

## The rules that cost money on the day

Rates go in the budget. Penalties show up in [hot costs](https://storiara.com/glossary/hot-costs), and they come mostly from three places: meals, rest periods, and pay timing.

### Meals

SAG-AFTRA's theatrical rule is that a performer's first meal is due within six hours of first call, and the second meal within six hours of the end of the first. The FAQ lists penalties of $25 for the first half hour or fraction, $35 for the second, and $50 for each half hour after that. The 2026 agreement adds a fifth-and-later tier of $75 per half hour for principal performers and $15 for background actors. A 15-minute non-deductible meal within two hours of call moves the six-hour clock.

IATSE Local 80 publishes its crew penalties for work outside a studio as $7.50, $10.00, $12.50 for the third and fourth, and $25.00 from the fifth through the nineteenth. Local 80 also describes a 12-minute grace period that can be called for production efficiency but can't be scheduled or used every day.

### Rest periods

SAG-AFTRA theatrical performers get 12 hours from dismissal to next call in the studio zone. On overnight locations it can drop to 11 hours on two non-consecutive days, and to 10 where exterior photography is required. Break it and the forced call penalty for a day performer is the daily rate or $900, whichever is less. Weekly rest is 56 hours, or 54 if Monday's call is 6:00 AM or later, and 36 on a six-day location week.

Local 80 lists a 10-hour daily rest (9 for distant hires), a 54-hour weekend after five consecutive days, and 32 hours after six. Its FAQ notes a 52-hour weekend under the Low Budget Theatrical agreement. The 2024 Basic Agreement changed the West Coast studio locals' penalty for invaded rest from additional straight time to additional double time for the invaded time.

### A worked example

A location day has a 7:00 AM crew call and a 7:30 AM call for the lead, a day performer. The last setup before lunch runs long and lunch is called at 2:10 PM.

For the crew, lunch was due at 1:00 PM. The delay is 1 hour 10 minutes, which is three half-hour units because the last 10 minutes counts as a full one. Per Local 80 crew member: $7.50 + $10.00 + $12.50 = $30.00. With 40 union crew, that's $1,200.

For the actor, the clock started at 7:30 AM, so lunch was due at 1:30 PM. The delay is 40 minutes, two units: $25 + $35 = $60.

The day then wraps late. The actor is dismissed at 9:10 PM and tomorrow's call sheet has her in makeup at 7:00 AM. That's 9 hours 50 minutes of rest against a 12-hour minimum. The 2nd AD either pushes her call to 9:10 AM or the production owes a forced call, capped at $900 or her daily rate if that's lower. Running this arithmetic every night is what the [turnaround calculator](https://storiara.com/tools/turnaround-calculator) and [meal penalty calculator](https://storiara.com/tools/meal-penalty-calculator) are for, and [turnaround rules compared](https://storiara.com/blog/turnaround-rules-compared) lays out the differences between agreements side by side.

## Paperwork the unions expect

Each union has a paper trail, and missing it creates claims even when everyone was paid correctly. For SAG-AFTRA, the theatrical production checklist lays out the main obligations:

- signatory documents returned 15 working days before the start date, along with financial assurances and chain of title
- every performer cleared through [Station 12](https://storiara.com/glossary/station-12) at least a week before they work
- a [Taft-Hartley](https://storiara.com/glossary/taft-hartley) report for a non-member's first engagement within 15 days, or 25 days on an overnight location
- day performers paid no later than five working days after each day worked
- Production Time Reports ([Exhibit G](https://storiara.com/glossary/exhibit-g)), signed by each performer, submitted by the Friday of the week after each work week
- a final cast list within 120 days after principal photography ends or 90 days after the picture is completed, whichever comes first

Crew unions work through time cards, payroll reports, and benefit contributions sent by the payroll company. The DGA has its own reporting, including the work lists and deal paperwork that the UPM and accountant file.

## Claims and grievances

Labor relations on a show is mostly unglamorous. Someone notices a problem, the union raises it, and the production either pays or disputes it.

### Where claims come from

The common ones are predictable. Meal penalties and forced calls that were owed but didn't make it to payroll are first, usually because the times on Exhibit G or the time cards don't match what the production report says. Late payment is another: under the 2026 SAG-AFTRA agreement the $10-per-day late payment liquidated damage can run for up to 25 business days, making the maximum $250 per violation. Union security violations happen when a performer isn't in good standing and Station 12 wasn't checked, and the SAG-AFTRA checklist warns that these carry liquidated damages. Missing Taft-Hartley reports and late time reports can also bring liquidated damages.

Background actor adjustments generate their share too. Schedule X-I has special provisions for wet, snow, and smoke work, and the 2026 agreement added a requirement that productions give background actors a private place to change into dry clothes at mealtime and dismissal. If the 2nd 2nd AD doesn't note which background were in the rain, payroll can't pay the adjustment and the union will ask why.

### How they get resolved

For SAG-AFTRA, a business representative is the production's contact for questions and claims. A signatory production posts a security deposit before shooting, and the checklist says it's returned once the representative confirms the production has met its obligations, minus deductions for claims. On a low-budget film, that means an unresolved meal penalty can come out of money the producer was counting on in post.

On the IATSE side, the Basic Agreement and West Coast studio local agreements have a grievance and arbitration procedure with named panels of arbitrators, including an expedited panel. The 2024 agreement routes some disputes, like paid sick leave for employees under the West Coast studio local agreements, into that grievance and arbitration procedure, while claims under its non-discrimination provision go to non-binding mediation instead of arbitration.

In practice, most claims never get near an arbitrator. The line producer or UPM looks at the documents, sees that the actor really was dismissed at 9:10 PM, and pays. Arbitration is for disputes where the production has a real argument, and the production report, Exhibit G, and time cards are what it argues with.

### Safety complaints

Safety issues are handled differently from pay claims because the stakes are different. In the studio system, the Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee, made up of guild, union, and management representatives, publishes Safety Bulletins on topics like firearms and blanks, long or successive takes, and severe weather. The committee is clear that the bulletins are recommended guidelines and not binding laws. They still carry weight: productions attach the relevant bulletin to the call sheet, and a stunt or effects accident where the bulletin wasn't followed becomes a much harder conversation with insurers and the unions. The 2024 IATSE agreement also set up a safety officer pilot program in New York and Georgia from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, in which a dedicated safety officer does a risk assessment and is present each day on selected productions.

## Keeping a production out of trouble

The productions that rarely see claims do a few boring things every day.

The 2nd AD reconciles three documents before the production report is signed: Exhibit G for cast, the sign-in or time cards for crew, and the draft [daily production report](https://storiara.com/blog/daily-production-report-guide). If lunch is 12:40 PM on one and 12:55 PM on another, it gets fixed that night while people remember.

The UPM keeps a short list of rules for each agreement on the show: meal timing, daily and weekly rest, overtime thresholds, and anything unusual in the deal memos. When a new department head asks for a 6:00 AM call after a night wrap, the answer is already written down.

Someone calls the union before doing something unusual. Business representatives would rather answer a question about a split day or a six-day location week in prep than process a claim about it in post. Waivers, when they're available, have to be requested before the work happens.

And the accountant carries an allowance for penalties in the budget instead of zero, because some meal penalties are a reasonable trade for finishing a scene before the light goes. The [unions and compliance hub](https://storiara.com/learn/unions-and-compliance) collects the rest of our guides on this, including [meal penalties explained](https://storiara.com/blog/meal-penalties-explained) and the [Taft-Hartley explainer](https://storiara.com/blog/taft-hartley-explained).

## Union rates in Storiara

In Storiara's Cast & Crew module, each person can be assigned a union and contract, which fills in a rate, and the budget setup wizard asks for the production's union tier. Those built-in rates are a starting point for a rough budget. Before you lock a budget, check every union line against the current rate sheet from the union itself.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the difference between the DGA, SAG-AFTRA, and IATSE?

The DGA represents directors and the directorial team (UPMs and assistant directors). SAG-AFTRA represents performers, including actors, stunt performers, and background actors. IATSE represents most crew crafts through locals, such as grips, editors, art directors, and production coordinators.

### Can a film be SAG-AFTRA but non-union for crew?

Yes. Each union's agreement is signed separately, so a production can be signatory to SAG-AFTRA and hire non-union crew. Union crew members may not be able to take that job, and SAG-AFTRA members can't work on a project that isn't signatory to SAG-AFTRA under Global Rule One.

### How much is a SAG-AFTRA meal penalty?

SAG-AFTRA's theatrical FAQ lists $25 for the first half hour of delay, $35 for the second, and $50 for each half hour after that. The 2026 TV/Theatrical agreement added a $75 tier for principal performers from the fifth half hour.

### What happens when a union files a claim against a production?

The union's business representative contacts the production with the claim, usually for unpaid penalties, late payments, or reporting failures. Many are settled by paying what's owed. Disputes that aren't settled can go to arbitration under the agreement's grievance procedure.

### What is the IATSE Basic Agreement?

It's the contract between IATSE and the AMPTP covering the Hollywood-based West Coast studio locals. The current agreement runs from August 1, 2024 through July 31, 2027, with compounded wage increases of 7%, 4%, and 3.5%.

## Sources

- [SAG-AFTRA: Global Rule One](https://www.sagaftra.org/contracts-industry-resources/global-rule-one)
- [SAG-AFTRA: How do Theatrical meal periods work?](https://servicesagaftra.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/999/~/how-do-theatrical-meal-periods-work%3F)
- [SAG-AFTRA: How do rest periods work for a theatrical production?](https://servicesagaftra.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1001/~/how-do-rest-periods-work-for-a-theatrical-production)
- [SAG-AFTRA 2026 TV/Theatrical Contracts Referendum Booklet](https://www.sagaftra.org/sites/default/files/2026-05/2026%20TV-Theatrical%20Contracts%20Tentative%20Agreement%20Referendum%20Booklet.pdf)
- [SAG-AFTRA Theatrical/Television Production Checklist](https://www.sagaftra.org/sites/default/files/production_checklist_theatrical_television_4_7_2.pdf)
- [2024 IATSE Basic Agreement Memorandum of Agreement](https://iatse.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-IATSE-Basic-Agreement-MOA-FINAL.pdf)
- [IATSE Local 80: FAQ (meal penalties, grace, rest periods)](https://www.iatselocal80.org/our-faqs/faq-frequently-asked-questions/)
- [SAG-AFTRA Theatrical Wage Table, 07/01/25 through 06/30/30](https://www.sagaftra.org/sites/default/files/2026%20Theatrical%20Wage%20Table.pdf)
- [SAG-AFTRA Production Center: Moderate Low Budget Project Agreement](https://www.sagaftra.org/production-center/contract/815/getting-started)
- [SAG-AFTRA Production Center: Low Budget Theatrical Agreement](https://www.sagaftra.org/production-center/contract/814/getting-started)
- [DGA Contract Administration: Qualification Lists](https://www.dga.org/employers/qualificationlists)
- [Contract Services: Safety Bulletins](https://www.csatf.org/production-affairs-safety/safety-bulletins/)