Unions provide information to members about their legal rights regarding working conditions, negotiate group contracts and provide models for individual contracts, lobby for laws and regulations to improve working conditions, offer benefits (such as health insurance) that may not otherwise be available, and may represent you if you feel an employer has been unfair or illegal regarding your working conditions. In this area, contact information for unions that have artists as members is provided. While some of these unions are specialized, very large unions serve as umbrella organizations for specialized niches within the art world. Curators, librarians, archivists, editors, conservators, and administrative staff in museums, for example, join the Professional and Administrative Staff Association (PASTA), which is part of the United Auto Workers.
American Federation of Radio and Television Artists [www.aftra.org]
National Writers Union [www.nwu.org]
United Auto Workers [www.uaw.org]