The SAG-AFTRA board voted Saturday to extend the contract of Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s national executive director, for four years and to add CEO to his title.
Crabtree-Ireland’s contract was set to expire in 2028, but will now run through June 20, 2032. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. He was paid $1.1 million for the 2026 fiscal year.
The extension will carry Crabtree-Ireland through the next round of negotiations with the major studios, with the current deal set to expire in June 2030. In a statement, the union said that the extension will offer “added stability and continuity for the union during a time of unprecedented industry disruption.”
Crabtree-Ireland has spent nearly his entire career at SAG-AFTRA, serving as general counsel and chief operating officer before being named national executive director in 2021. He has made artificial intelligence a key focus of the union’s negotiations, reaching a series of agreements that aim to allow performers to capture the upside of AI while protecting them from unauthorized uses of their likenesses. He was also a central figure in the 2023 actors’ strike.
Sean Astin, the president of SAG-AFTRA, praised Crabtree-Ireland in a statement after the vote.
“To battle giant global transnational corporations, we need expert leadership with a track record of successful bargaining and significant operational management expertise,” Astin said. “That is Duncan. He is a powerful executive who has led our union at the bargaining table, in the halls of Congress and in boardrooms and conference rooms across the industry and the world. We are thrilled to have guaranteed Duncan’s continued service to the members of SAG-AFTRA.”
The extension was approved with 98.34% of the board in favor in a weighted vote.
“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. “As we continue fighting for human creativity, the coming years will be crucial for charting the path forward. 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. I thank President Astin, the national officers, and the National Board for their trust, and our extraordinary staff team for everything they make possible.”
Pictured: Duncan Crabtree-Ireland (left) and SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin.
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