ACTRA
Encyclopedia
The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 labour union representing performers in English-language media. It has 22,000 members working in film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

, radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...

, and all other recorded media.

The organization negotiates, safeguards, and promotes the professional rights of its members, which by necessity infringe on the rights of consumers. It also works to increase work opportunities for its members and lobbies
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...

 for policy changes at the municipal, provincial and federal levels.

ACTRA presents the ACTRA Award
ACTRA Award
The ACTRA Awards were first presented in 1972 to celebrate excellence in Canada's television, film and radio industry. Organized and presented by ACTRA, the Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists, which represented performers, writers and broadcast journalists, the Nellie statuettes...

s to honour the best in Canadian radio and television performances.

Affiliations

ACTRA is affiliated with the Canadian Labour Congress
Canadian Labour Congress
The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC is a national trade union centre, the central labour body in English Canada to which most Canadian labour unions are affiliated.- Formation :...

 and the International Federation of Actors.

In July, 2005, ACTRA and the United Steelworkers
United Steelworkers
The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union is the largest industrial labor union in North America, with 705,000 members. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, U.S., the United Steelworkers represents workers in the United...

 announced that the two unions have entered into a strategic alliance to take on the globalization of the culture industry and to address a range of common issues.

What the acronym means

The earliest form of the organization represented radio performers in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

 in the 1940s. This organization was called RATS: the Radio Artists of Toronto Society. In 1943, with wider involvement of groups from other Canadian cities, the Association of Canadian Radio Artists (ACRA) was formed.

ACRA over time evolved into the Association of Canadian Radio and Television Artists, the Canadian Council of Authors and Artists, the Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists and, in 1984, the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists.

Regional issues led to the creation of the Union of British Columbia Performers, a separate subunit of ACTRA for British Columbia only.

See also

  • Union des artistes
    Union des artistes
    The Union des artistes or Artist union is a Quebec-based labour organization representing stage, television, radio and film performers in French-language media in Canada . It represents over 6,900 members and is affiliated with the International Federation of Actors...

     - its francophone equivalent
  • Screen Actors Guild
    Screen Actors Guild
    The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...

     (SAG) - similar U.S. organization for motion picture actors
  • American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
    American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
    The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists is a performers' union that represents a wide variety of talent, including actors in radio and television, as well as radio and television announcers and newspersons, singers and recording artists , promo and voice-over announcers and other...

    (AFTRA) - similar U.S. organization for television and radio actors

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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