How do unions protect the professional?

To most people in the entertainment world, "professional" performer means "union" performer. The minimum in wages and working conditions that union members today take for granted, are the results of hard-won battles fought by earlier generations of performers, bringing the profession from adoption of the first minimum wage in the 1930s to today's digital age. Because of the struggles and commitment of these pioneers, as well as the ongoing vigilance of today's performers' unions, professional union actors can expect fair and equitable treatment in auditions, wages, working conditions and benefits.