This story was originally published by ArtsATL.
Actress Maya Dunbar, who lives in Atlanta, has thought about the changes she wants to see in her union for a long time. After 17 years as a member, she’s running to become president of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
The SAG-AFTRA election is months away, though, and Dunbar has something more immediate on her mind: the possibility of a strike.
The union’s contract was set to expire on June 30 but was extended to July 12 while negotiations continue. Union members already voted to authorize a strike if they can’t sign a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
The union leadership’s last-minute decision to extend the contract angered many union members including Dunbar, she said after the extension.
“It’s absolutely not what the membership wanted. We had a 98% strike authorization vote from the membership. This is prolonging an already terrible situation,” she said.
“People are already out of work, and now these executives and these leaders and AMPTP have gone off to take a long vacation while the rest of us suffer and toil and wonder if we’ll ever be able to pay our bills. It’s absolutely unacceptable and another example of why the leadership is not equipped to handle this kind of negotiation at the crux that we are at.”
Regardless, Dunbar has some stiff competition. Another union member has also thrown her hat into the ring. Fran Drescher, the current SAG-AFTRA president who is best known for “The Nanny,” is running for re-election and has the endorsement of the two main factions within the union.
Dunbar knows she will need to work hard to win. She plans to spend the summer campaigning and talking to union members.
“I am old-school and not a name,” Dunbar said, “but I want to awaken the membership and let them know we have to fight for the union now, while we still have one.”
Dunbar said she decided to run for office months ago. A longtime SAG member, she’s been unhappy with the direction the union has been taking.
“I knew I was going to step up and become active in our union, but I realized — instead of looking for someone to represent me and all the members — why not me?” she said.
“I think there is so much potential in what SAG and what all unions are. We are labor unions to ensure workers have a safe and equal working field and that people are treated with respect. I don’t necessarily see that when I look at our leadership. I don’t see the diversity and equity that can be there.”
If elected, she would be the union’s first Black president.
Originally from Kent, Ohio, Dunbar moved to Los Angeles in her early 20s. At first, she landed background and stand-in work, learning the ropes before inching her way to more prominent roles.
By 2006, she had her SAG card.
“The goal of anyone who wants to remotely be taken seriously and make a living is joining the union,” she said.
The actress has appeared in television series such as “Banshee,” “Harry’s Law,” “The Mentalist” and “Southland,” as well as in independent films. One of her biggest roles was in Ava DuVernay’s 2012 “Middle of Nowhere,” alongside David Oyelowo and Lorraine Toussaint.
Dunbar has been a writer for “Bluff City Law” and has penned several pilots. She is also a member of the Writers Guild of America union, which has been on strike since early May, forcing many film and TV productions to shut down.
She is married to Rockmond Dunbar, whose 30-year career includes stints in series such as “Prison Break,” “The Path” and “The Game.” The couple moved their family to Atlanta in 2021 during the pandemic. Dunbar said COVID-19 changed the entertainment industry in many ways but also made her realize that union members need to step up.
“I had been making a grave mistake for the last 15 or so years, walking around with this assumption that the union was doing something for us, but all members are a part of this union, and we need to be active in it.”
SAG-AFTRA has more than 160,000 members nationwide, including actors, broadcast journalists, recording artists, stunt performers and voice-over artists.
Dunbar wants members to have more a bigger say in the union. There are several issues that need to be addressed, she said, including health care for members over 65 and the effect of artificial intelligence on actors and voice-over artists.
Professionals are being asked to sign contracts, for example, that allow AI to re-create their likeness and replicate their voice, she said.
“If used properly, it is good,” she said of AI. “But these big corporations are motivated to make as much money as possible with paying artists as little as possible. I want to find a resolution.”
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Jim Farmer covers theater and film for ArtsATL. A graduate of the University of Georgia, he has written about the arts for 30-plus years. Jim is the festival director of Out on Film, Atlanta’s LGBTQ film festival. He lives in Avondale Estates with his husband, Craig, and dog, Douglas.
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
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