LOS ANGELES (CNS) — The national board of the actors' union has approved a wide-ranging diversity plan that includes a new code for language, better representation for the Middle Eastern, North African (MENA) and Latino communities, and more training on implicit bias, the union said Sunday.

What You Need To Know

  • The national board of the actors' union has approved a diversity plan

  • The board of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists National Board met Saturday by video conference and approved the plan

  • The board also adopted a new membership rule explicitly prohibiting harassment and abuse

  • The board also approved the submission of a proposed constitutional amendment to extend the statute of limitations on member disciplinary charges

The board of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists National Board met Saturday by video conference, and approved a Diversity Action Plan that includes the following provisions:

  • encouraging the use of inclusive language
  • establishing diversity committees serving the Middle Eastern and North African and Latino communities
  • providing for implicit bias training for national and local boards
  • directing the creation and distribution of an inclusive practices guide for broadcast journalists
  • strengthening partnerships with allied organizations conducting diversity and inclusion research
  • recommending member education campaigns to promote the union's low budget contracts and their diversity incentives
  • encouraging members to complete their online demographic profile

The board also adopted a new membership rule explicitly prohibiting harassment and abuse, including sexual harassment, intimidation, and retaliation for the filing of complaints, and making violations subject to disciplinary action.

Saturday's action followed SAG-AFTRA's Stop the Hate Week Summit.

"Stop The Hate week has been all about taking action to support and protect our members from diverse communities, many of whom are under direct threat and facing violent attacks," SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris said. "The action plan approved by our National Board today advances concrete actions to stem the tide of hate."

David White, SAG-AFTRA's national executive director, said that "taking action to stop the hate starts with each of us. But collective action aggregating the power of our individual members makes achieving real change truly possible."

White also updated the board on projects to prevent sexual harassment, including the development of the sexual harassment reporting app and the next phase of the intimacy coordinators project.

In addition to the new rule on harassment, the board approved the submission of a proposed constitutional amendment to extend the statute of limitations on member disciplinary charges relating to sexual harassment, abuse, and assault from six months to 10 years.

Members also established a puppeteers committee and podcast committee.