SAG members face losing their health insurance. Boohoo?

[Chew Toy McCoy]

I'm not well versed in Hollywood but I have heard of their union the Screen Actors Guild. Recently they've been told if they don't work so many hours (not sure of how many) in the profession than they won't receive their usual health insurance. This of course is upsetting many members. Acting can have many long periods of unemployment even during normal times, but especially during the pandemic.

The question is, should we care? They're already well known for chiming off about social issues that don't actually affect them, but if they start loudly supporting Medicare for all as a result of this, should we see it as just self serving now that its hit home?

 

[Alli]

The question is, should we care? They're already well known for chiming off about social issues that don't actually affect them, but if they start loudly supporting Medicare for all as a result of this, should we see it as just self serving now that its hit home?

I suspect you’ll find that these are the same people who were supporting MFA to start with. They knew this day, or a day like it, would come.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

I suspect you’ll find that these are the same people who were supporting MFA to start with. They knew this day, or a day like it, would come.

I haven't really heard anything on celebrities being explicitly in support of MFA. At best I've heard of Bernie Sanders supporters. Have there been any being quite vocal in support of his shared proposed policies but removed from Bernie?

 

[Alli]

I haven't really heard anything on celebrities being explicitly in support of MFA. At best I've heard of Bernie Sanders supporters. Have there been any being quite vocal in support of his shared proposed policies but removed from Bernie?

The ones I’m thinking of are still vocally supporting “Obamacare.”

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

The ones I’m thinking of are still vocally supporting “Obamacare.”

So, no.

 

[JayMysteri0]

I'm not well versed in Hollywood but I have heard of their union the Screen Actors Guild. Recently they've been told if they don't work so many hours (not sure of how many) in the profession than they won't receive their usual health insurance. This of course is upsetting many members. Acting can have many long periods of unemployment even during normal times, but especially during the pandemic.

The question is, should we care? They're already well known for chiming off about social issues that don't actually affect them, but if they start loudly supporting Medicare for all as a result of this, should we see it as just self serving now that its hit home?

Remember, not every member of SAG are the people you see at the awards show. Many are the character actors, the newbs, the 3 lines & waiting for their break individuals. In many cases if they make enough it equals the regular pay of those making 50K and up, but they don't get a consistent check. Instead it maybe piecemeal gigs that add up to the salary many are accustomed to. Which means they don't get employer healthcare.

It's just like when the pandemic initially shut down Hollywood, the real concern was for the set builders, caterers, carpenters, who don't pull down the big salaries, but ones most people would be used to. They had no fallback. That doesn't even count the ancillary businesses that provide to those, that were affected. Hollywood is like a lot of industries where a few ( smaller percent ) make the big dollars we see & expect, will the majority are doing alright or scraping. The difference from other industries is that the main workers we think of when we think of Hollywood ( actors ) are a lot closer to "at will" worker, unless they can secure a contract of some ( even though that's usually in favor of the employer ) sort.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Remember, not every member of SAG are the people you see at the awards show. Many are the character actors, the newbs, the 3 lines & waiting for their break individuals. In many cases if they make enough it equals the regular pay of those making 50K and up, but they don't get a consistent check. Instead it maybe piecemeal gigs that add up to the salary many are accustomed to. Which means they don't get employer healthcare.

It's just like when the pandemic initially shut down Hollywood, the real concern was for the set builders, caterers, carpenters, who don't pull down the big salaries, but ones most people would be used to. They had no fallback. That doesn't even count the ancillary businesses that provide to those, that were affected. Hollywood is like a lot of industries where a few ( smaller percent ) make the big dollars we see & expect, will the majority are doing alright or scraping. The difference from other industries is that the main workers we think of when we think of Hollywood ( actors ) are a lot closer to "at will" worker, unless they can secure a contract of some ( even though that's usually in favor of the employer ) sort.

I used to do background/extra roles for about 2 years. You have to bust your ass or get lucky to even get enough SAG vouchers to even become a SAG member. If I remember I think you need three. To put it in perceptive, I only got one for the whole 2 years by luck. Many got none doing extra roles much longer than me, and I didn't even take it seriously. And once you become SAG, it's harder to get work, cause there's limited extra role work for SAG compared to non-SAG.

Being that said, I think there should be a much better middle ground than what they are offering.

 

[Alli]

It’s another reason that insurance should not be tied to employment or a union.