Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1251534
sagaftra.org | Spring 2020 | SAG-AFTRA 48 CARES Act Advocacy Bears Fruit What's Next? HEROES Act and More C O V I D - 1 9 M any members have received stimulus checks and expanded unemployment benefits due to the passage of the CARES Act by Congress in late March. This is the $2.2 trillion relief bill that your union's government affairs staff helped shape in concert with our allies in Congress — and it's just one example of the lobbying the union has been undertaking on behalf of members during the COVID crisis. SAG-AF TRA members, as well as members of other industr y unions, stepped up in a big way to assist with phone calls and emails to make sure entertainment industr y workers would not be left behind. Among the notable benefits for SAG-AF TRA members are increased maximum unemployment benefit by $600 per week through July 31 and extended unemployment benefits for an additional 13 weeks. SAG-AF TRA President Gabrielle Carteris and National Executive Director David White hosted podcast episodes about the federal relief efforts featuring Rep. Adam Schiff of California's 28th Congressional District and the National Employment Law Project's Government Affairs Director Judy Conti. On May 12, SAG-AF TRA and IATSE hosted a virtual town hall with Schiff answering member questions. Carteris recalled that in a con- versation with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about the legislation, Pelosi noted that the work of our members offers relief to those sheltering at home. They are finding comfort in our movies, T V shows, music and news. It is our broadcast members who are on the frontlines with first responders reporting the news and keeping our countr y informed. She acknowledged that fact and added that it will be our members who will inspire and give hope when this pandemic is over. Leaders of SAG-AF TRA, along with allied unions, are now focusing on the next series of state and federal relief bills. They are pushing to make sure members who have W-2 and 1099 income — so-called "mixed income" — can use the combined total to access maximum unemployment benefits; working to ensure the stability and funding of the defined benefit pensions; and urging 36-month eligibility for, and 100% subsidizing of, COBRA benefits. Check out sagaftra.org/podcast for podcast episodes about this topic and more. D espite its vast benefits, the CARES Act has fallen short in assisting entertainment workers in some critical ways, including the hole that Congress must fix to make sure workers who earn "mixed income" — which means W-2 plus 1099 income — are able to access maximum benefits and stay afloat for the duration of the crisis. At press time, Congress was debating the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act, or HEROES Act. In May, SAG-AF TR A members and others in the entertainment industry called on congress to make certain that workers in the entertainment community get the aid they need to survive. Along with our allied unions and guilds, we are urging legislative action on key state and federal issues, including: • Fighting for the stability and funding of our defined benefit pensions. • Urging 36-month eligibility for, and 100% subsidizing of, COBR A benefits. • Lobbying the state of California to change its rules that residuals can reduce a member's weekly unemployment benefit amount. In some states, such as New York, residuals income doesn't count against weekly benefits.