IATSE President Pleads for Studios to Extend Health Benefits Amid Strikes

Matt Loeb, IATSE President, has made an appeal to studio executives, urging them to extend health benefits to below-the-line workers who may be on the brink of losing them due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild strikes. This call-to-action echoes a similar move made by studios during the Covid-19 pandemic. The SAG-AFTRA strike commenced today, whilst the WGA strike currently sits at a lengthy 74th day, with implications for numerous crewmembers who fear the imminent loss of their health coverage.

During the infancy of the pandemic, health coverage was extended to crewmembers through the Motion Picture Industry Pension & Health Plan (MPIPHP). One such provision allowed out-of-work crewmembers to qualify for health coverage after completing up to 300 of the 400 required hours. At the time, changes were made to the qualifying rules, resulting in the protection of those who had achieved at least 100 hours worked or banked. As a result, this significant move by the MPIPHP safeguarded the health coverage of the workforce and their eligible family members during a critical worldwide health crisis.

According to Loeb, the studios have the capacity to deliver this much-needed support similarly today, as they did amidst the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020. However, it seems more grassroots efforts are providing support where studios have faltered. The union Solidarity Coalition, an assembly of writers, actors, and directors, has made considerable strides to fund mutual aid. Loeb's statement also emphasized the dire potential economic fallout for below-the-line crewmembers due to work slowdowns, explicitly referencing the studios' power to mitigate these.

Despite MPIPHP trustees' power to extend health benefits to those at risk of losing them, The Editors Guild, IATSE Local 700, cautions its members that this may not occur due to half of the trustees being represented by the very companies current strikes target. This sentiment is mirrored by the WGA in their member advisements.

Loeb’s statement intertwined with unwavering support for the striking actors and writers, noting the common threads between their battle today and the potential struggle tomorrow, especially considering IATSE's plan to negotiate a new film and TV contract next year.

Decrying the studios' attempts at causing board-level divides, Loeb positioned the "economic fallout" as very real for the crewmembers. He expressed a firm belief that solidarity amongst union members across the industry is essential in moving forward and successfully tackling management, calling out the studios for their previous shutdown of productions across film and television.

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As we crack the glow-sticks and navigate this Hollywood rave, it's clear that the beats of Matt Loeb’s impassioned call are reverberating far beyond the picket lines. Loeb candidly reminds us that the heart of the industry is a pulsating, bedazzled ecosystem of talent; skilled workers toiling tirelessly with their craft to entertain us. From the strings of the violin to the final punch line, creativity fuels the Hollywood engine like a Pulp Fiction-style adrenaline shot to the heart.

As Hollywood strolls down its own Street of Broken Dreams, the camera pans to the hardworking crew, often unsung. The party still goes on, the show can't stop, but among the bright lights and the echoing laughs, it's easy to forget about the cogs in the machine that keep the production rolling.

So here we are, staring down the barrel of a health coverage crisis amidst ongoing strikes, where the VIPs are thriving and the extras, whom Loeb identifies as the lifeblood of the industry, teetering on uncertainty. Feels like we’ve slipped into a plot twist of one of those dystopian films, doesn't it?

There's a distinct slice of irony being served at the Hollywood buffet right now. Cinematic narratives often put a spotlight on the underdog triumphing over an oppressive system. Yet here, in the so-called real world, the industry stands on the precipice of its own climax, wherein cultural sculptors are put at risk of losing fundamental benefits.

For those crunching the numbers behind cordoned-off velvet ropes, providing support to health insurance may lighten the gold of their Oscars temporarily. But it could be the scene-stealer that restores their image as protectors of their workforce, rather than soulless profit-chasers. Oh, the ratings that could bring!

And for the MPIPHP, how about a sequel to the generosity you exhibited during the 2020 pandemic? Rolling the end credits on health care inequalities would definitely be an audience’s choice award-winner in my books.

In the final act, we hope Hollywood learns the value of its supporting crew members because what's a lead without their support, a play without its backstage crew, or a movie without its masters of crafts? I see spotlights shifting and perhaps a standing ovation on the horizon.