Union Setup and Configuration
Selecting which unions apply to your production
Unions on this production is the third stage on the Company Setup checklist. It's a short step: check off whichever unions apply, or confirm you're non-union.
Accessing union selection
Open Company setup in the left nav, then click the Unions on this production row to expand it.
Union selection
Check the box for each union that applies to your production. There are no per-union sub-fields to fill in at this stage — selecting a union just adds it to your production's list. If none apply, check This production runs non-union instead (this disables the union checkboxes). The stage is complete once you've either picked at least one union or confirmed non-union.
Changing your selection later is a simple update — check or uncheck a box and save. It replaces your production's union list; it doesn't trigger a separate approval or transition workflow at the company level.
Available unions
Greenroom currently supports six unions:
| Union | Full name | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| AEA | Actors' Equity Association | Stage actors and stage managers |
| ATPAM | Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers | Company managers and press agents |
| IATSE | International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees | Stagecraft and technical crew |
| LOCAL798 | IATSE Local 798 | Hair and makeup |
| SDC | Stage Directors & Choreographers Society | Directors and choreographers |
| USA829 | United Scenic Artists, Local 829 | Scenic, costume, lighting, sound, and projection design |
Union selection never changes a payee's W-2/1099 status
Verified: SDC does not auto-convert payees to contractors
Payee type — Employee, Loan-out, Contractor, or Vendor, chosen once when the payee is added and not editable afterward — is what determines whether Check creates them as an employee (W-2) or a contractor (1099). Union assignment never overrides it: ensureCheckPayee branches purely on payee.type === "employee", with no union lookup anywhere in that decision. Assigning someone to SDC does not turn an employee-typed payee into a contractor.
Where union does matter: for a payee who is already Contractor, Loan-out, or Vendor typed, SDC and USA 829 assignment determines which 1099 box their pay reports on — 1099-NEC for their fee, or 1099-MISC for advances and royalties — instead of everything landing on one form the way other contractor payments do. suggestBucket1099 checks type first (an employee-typed payee returns "none" — W-2 — before the union is ever consulted) and only reaches the SDC/USA 829 branch for non-employee payees.
For which specific rates are confirmed vs. still pending client sign-off, see Union Rate Reference. To look up the actual current minimums, fringes, and dues for a union and agreement type, check Union Studio in the left nav — every user can browse rates there; only Greenroom staff can publish new rule versions.
Per-payee union assignment
Selecting unions here only controls which unions are available to assign — it doesn't assign anyone to one. Each payee's own union, specific agreement (e.g., a Musical vs. Dramatic AEA agreement), and job title are set individually on their profile, in Role & Pay's Engagement & union section. See Payee Union Configuration for that per-payee workflow, including union transitions for an individual payee.
What's required for payroll
Unions on this production is a required stage — Greenroom won't approve your company until it's complete (either unions selected or non-union confirmed), alongside Production info, Pay schedule, and Bank & checks.
Common issues
I can't find AEA-specific fields like Production ID or Business Representative
They aren't part of this stage — company-level union selection is just the checkbox list above. If you're thinking of agreement-specific details, those are set per payee (see Payee Union Configuration), not at the company level.
A union I need isn't listed
Only the six unions above are currently supported. If your production needs one that isn't listed, contact your Greenroom account contact — it isn't something you can add yourself.
Unchecking a union that has payees assigned to it
Company-level union selection and payee-level union assignment are stored separately — removing a union from this list doesn't automatically reassign payees already using it. Reassign affected payees first, on their own profiles, before assuming the change is complete everywhere.
Next steps
Continue with Bank Setup to add your funding account, then Tax Configuration for how tax filing works. For payee-level union configuration, see Payee Union Configuration.