June 24, 2025
Actors Launch Retire Big Oil Campaign, Urging SAG-Producers Pension Plan to Stop Investing Over $100M in Fossil Fuel Companies
Jane Fonda, Rosario Dawson, Mark Ruffalo, 200+ actors join fellow union members calling for retirement protection, climate action.
Read the breaking news in Bloomberg
Read the full letter and signatories to the SAG-Producers Pension Plan
Indigenous lands of the Chumash and Tongva (Gabrieleno) Peoples (colonially called Los Angeles, California) – While the Trump regime attacks the lives, livelihoods, and hard-earned savings of workers across the country, members of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) union are publicly launching the Retire Big Oil campaign, an urgent call for the $5 billion SAG-Producers Pension Plan to phase out coal, oil, and gas holdings.
The SAG-Producers Pension Plan has 65,000 participants and at least $100 million invested in fossil fuel companies, according to its latest publicly available tax forms. In total, the SAG-AFTRA labor union represents approximately 160,000 workers. Today, 200+ actors – including Jane Fonda, Rosario Dawson, Mark Ruffalo, and Don Cheadle – sent a letter to the SAG-Producers Pension Plan Trustees with copies sent to the SAG-AFTRA union board.
The Retire Big Oil campaign will be highlighted at a panel titled “Rewriting the Credits: Hollywood’s Path to a Climate-Just Pension” at this year’s Sun Valley Forum. The panel will feature Todd Paglia, Executive Director of Stand.earth, and Alex Wright-Gladstein, CEO of Sphere.
Financial analysis affirms that fossil fuels have underperformed over the last decade-plus, and face long-term headwinds. As investors on the longest-term horizons, it is within the SAG-Producers Pension Plan’s fiduciary duty to divest from fossil fuels and reinvest in climate-safe solutions.
Read the breaking news in Bloomberg
Read the full letter and signatories to the SAG-Producers Pension Plan
Two years after a historic strike, the Retire Big Oil campaign comes on the heels of historic fires in Los Angeles, California. Over the past year, SAG-AFTRA union members have met multiple times with the SAG-Producers Pension Plan, challenging its fossil fuel investments and pressing for climate-safe accountability. Behind the scenes, a group of working actors has been organizing, rallying A-list allies and union solidarity.
The campaign calls on the SAG-Producers Pension Plan to:
- Divest from fossil fuel companies—including those involved in extraction, pipelines, and related services;
- Reinvest at least 10% of assets into climate-safe, socially responsible funds within the next five years;
- Build transparency and open up meaningful opportunities for member input on where our money goes.
The Retire Big Oil campaign joins pension and retirement funds across North America as part of the Climate Safe Pensions Network.
Over 1660 institutions representing more than $40.76 trillion in assets have committed to divest from fossil fuels, according to the Global Fossil Fuel Divestment Database. Over 200 public and private pension funds have committed to some level of fossil fuel divestment, including the Netherland’s ABP, the New York City Employees’ Retirement System, the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund, and more. Just 0.2% of current commitments come from cultural institutions, including the Australian Academy of Science, California Academy of Sciences, the Field Museum in Chicago, and Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.
QUOTE SHEET
Jane Fonda, Actress known for Klute, Grace and Frankie, and Coming Home, 2025 SAG-AFTRA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient: “The only thing that would make me prouder of my SAG-AFTRA Lifetime Achievement Award is if my labor union divested from fossil fuels. Our industry is meant to offer reflections of our society; what better reflection than putting workers’ hard-earned savings toward a livable future.”
Don Cheadle, Actor known for Hotel Rwanda, Avengers: Endgame, and House of Lies: “I’ve seen how fossil fuel pollution hits Black and Brown communities first and worst. It makes no sense for the SAG pension to fund an industry driving these injustices. Divesting from Big Oil isn’t only the right thing to do morally, it’s also financially responsible for workers and retirees as the world rapidly moves toward clean energy.”
Mark Ruffalo, Actor known for Avengers, Spotlight, and Foxcatcher: “As actors and artists, our role is to help present stories of what’s possible, giving us shared visions and values to fight for. SAG-AFTRA has the chance to hold polluters accountable for harming our climate and communities, while protecting workers’ retirement savings.”
Chelsea Handler, Comedian, author, and TV host known for Chelsea Lately, Chelsea Does, and her stand-up specials: “I joke about almost everything, but our pension investing in fossil fuels isn’t funny. It’s absurd and short-sighted. It’s ridiculous that our retirement fund is bankrolling fossil fuel CEOs who trash the planet. We need to put our money where our mouth is and ditch Big Oil for good.”
Mark Hamill, Actor known for Star Wars, voice work as the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series, and The Last Jedi: “It’s 2025. Investing our union’s pension in fossil fuels is like betting on Blockbuster in a Netflix world. It’s not just financially outdated; it’s environmentally dangerous and morally indefensible. We know a bad script when we see one, and continuing to bankroll fossil fuels is one story that’s headed for a disastrous ending. It’s time to change the narrative and invest in a future that’s actually worth celebrating.”
Abbi Jacobson, Actor, Writer, SAG-AFTRA Member: “Taking on climate change isn’t about politics or personal opinions. It’s about responsibility. Our pensions should fund our future, not fuel the climate crisis. SAG-AFTRA members have always stood up for what matters, and right now, that means getting our money out of fossil fuels and into a sustainable tomorrow.”
Peppermint, Actress and singer known for Broadway’s Head Over Heels, TV’s Harlem, and Survival Of The Thickest: “I’m part of several communities who are directly impacted by where and how the fossil fuel industry produces and does business. From the quality of the air to the safety of the water, climate justice is inseparable from Justice for the lives of trans, queer, and Black communities. I want to urge the SAG-Producers Pension Plan to reflect the inclusive values we stand for by divesting from Big Oil and investing in a safe, livable future for all of us.”
Baratunde Thurston, author of How to Be Black and host of PBS’s America Outdoors: “As a storyteller and a community member, I believe in the power of people coming together to change big things. Our pension is not just numbers on a page. It’s our collective future, and we should have a say in aligning it with our values of democracy and sustainability. By divesting from fossil fuels, SAG-AFTRA can show that everyday people, working together, can lead on climate action in our own backyard.”
Todd Paglia, Stand.earth Executive Director: “As LA rebuilds from devastating wildfires, and with fossil-fueled fire season now year-round, the SAG-Producers Pension Plan has the opportunity to lead in securing a sustainable future for its members. This fossil fuel divestment call is coming from working artists and creators who are the foundation of the labor union. Together, we’re urging SAG-AFTRA to align its investments with the values we fight for on- and off-screen: sustainability, justice, and long-term security.”
Amy Gray, Stand.earth Climate Finance Associate Director and coordinator of the Climate Safe Pensions Network: “The climate crisis is the defining story of our time—and SAG-AFTRA members have a powerful role to play. Their union fought for fair pay and streaming residuals—now it’s time to fight for climate-safe pensions. Every dollar invested should reflect the values they work so hard to bring to life on screen. By demanding fossil fuel divestment, they’re helping rewrite the ending—for their retirement and for our planet.”
Alex Wright-Gladstein, Founder and CEO, Sphere: “As CEO of my first climate tech company Ayar Labs, it took over three years to give our team climate-safe investment options, so I know first-hand how challenging moving out of fossil fuels can be. When I learned 99% of people don’t have these options, I started Sphere to make it easy for everyone to invest in a climate-friendly way, and I am grateful to the SAG members who are bringing awareness to this important issue.”
Aimée Christensen, Founder, Sun Valley Forum and Christensen Global: “We are honored that such a powerful initiative was sparked at the Sun Valley Forum, a global gathering in the mountains of Idaho where visionaries, innovators, and community leaders come together not just to share ideas, but to build partnerships like this one that power real, lasting climate and nature solutions.”
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