Associated Actors and Artistes of America
| Full name | Associated Actors and Artistes of America |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | AFL-CIO |
| Key people | Theodore Bikel, President |
The Associated Actors and Artistes of America (4As) is the federation of trade unions for performing artists in the United States. The following unions belong to the 4As:
- The Actors' Equity Association (AEA)
- The American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA)
- The American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA)
- The Hebrew Actors' Union (HAU) [defunct]
- SAG-AFTRA
- The Guild of Italian American Actors (GIAA)
The organization holds a unique role because the 4As is a member of the AFL-CIO and a few of the individual unions are not. This distinction is purely technical as the 4As splits its votes in AFL-CIO elections based on the wishes of each member union. The current AAAA member unions of the AFL-CIO are: AEA, AGMA, GIAA, and SAG-AFTRA. The well-known performer and civil rights activist, Theodore Bikel, is President of the 4As.
On June 1, 2014, DPE President Paul Almeida became the 4As Executive Director and DPE took over administrative functions of the 4As, as per the April 15, 2014, agreement between the DPE and the 4As. As part of the agreement, AGVA and GIAA affiliated with the DPE. AGMA, already a DPE affiliate, AGVA, and GIAA remain AFL-CIO affiliates through the 4As. The other two 4As members, AEA and SAG-AFTRA, previously received direct charters from the AFL-CIO.
At the 4As Convention on December 2, 2015 the following 4As officers were elected. Officers President – Gabrielle Carteris SAG-AFTRA; 1st Vice President – David White, SAG-AFTRA; 2nd Vice President – Mary McColl, AEA; 3rd Vice President – Susanne Doris – AGVA Delegate; 4th Vice President – Deborah Alton Maher, AGMA Delegate; 5th Vice President – Carson Grant, GIAA; Treasurer – Mary Lou Westerfield, AEA; Executive Secretary – Paul E. Almeida, DPE
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