In a country with an abundance of unions for artists and cultural workers, on Tuesday, July 1, the launch of the Sindicato de Artistas Unidos Argentinos (S.A.U.A.) was made official, led by comedian and former senator Nito Artaza as general secretary, together with Dulce Granados as deputy secretary.
The ceremony took place at the Complejo Belgrano, where renowned entertainment figures such as Antonio Tarragó Ros, Abel Visconti, Kike Teruel, Marina Glezer, Federica Pais, and singer L-Gante, among others, participated.
All of them signed the founding document of this new entity which, according to its promoters, has a federal approach and aims to "integrate and not compete."
A union with political heavyweights as sponsors
The most striking moment of the event was the appointment as union sponsors of Luis Barrionuevo, historic leader of UTHGRA—now in his eighth national term—, and his ex-wife Sandra Barrionuevo, current secretary of social assistance of the hotel workers' union. The explicit support of the union leader makes clear a strong political network behind this new project.
Although S.A.U.A. presents itself as an alternative support for artists and cultural workers—offering everything from health insurance to hotel agreements and legal advice—the closeness to Barrionuevo raises suspicions about the true purpose of the union, which seems more connected to the structure of union power than to the genuine demand for artistic representation.
