SAG-AFTRA Urges Telemundo to Help End Talent Double Standard

As NBCUniversal breaks ground on its new $400 million facility to house all of Telemundo's productions and operations, SAG-AFTRA is calling attention to the double standard that exists between Spanish-language and English-language talent hired for those productions under the same parent corporation.

"SAG-AFTRA strongly supports the expansion of production infrastructure wherever it creates quality jobs for entertainment industry professionals," said SAG-AFTRA Miami Local Executive Director Herta Suarez. "This ground breaking is an opportunity for NBCUniversal to lead the industry and help end the perpetuation of second-class status for professional performers who work in Spanish-language programming."

Currently, talent on Spanish-language networks are not protected under SAG-AFTRA contracts that would ensure performers receive fair wages and protections for their work. As such, many actors do not receive simple guaranteed benefits that SAG-AFTRA contracts provide such as fair pay, water breaks, health insurance and residuals, among others.

"We will be closely monitoring Telemundo's development on behalf of actors, dancers and other professional performers in Florida and we will continue to advocate for fair pay and working conditions for all performers, regardless of the language in which they are performing," Suarez added.

About SAG-AFTRA
SAG-AFTRA represents approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other media professionals. SAG-AFTRA members are the faces and voices that entertain and inform America and the world. With national offices in Los Angeles and New York and local offices nationwide, SAG-AFTRA members work together to secure the strongest protections for media artists into the 21st century and beyond. Visit SAG-AFTRA online at SAGAFTRA.org. Follow SAG-AFTRA on Twitter (twitter.com/sagaftra),YouTube (youtube.com/sagaftra) and Facebook (facebook.com/sagaftra).

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