Federal pandemic relief packages have left out a group of workers in Hollywood with mixed sources of income. Unions are hoping to fix it.
A coalition of industry arts and entertainment unions and organizations, including SAG-AFTRA, backed a bill to remedy a flaw in previous COVID-19 relief that excluded many industry workers.
The Mixed Earner Unemployment Assistance Act of 2020, introduced by U.S. Reps. Adam Schiff and Judy Chu , would end an exclusion that prevented many Hollywood workers from qualifying for federal pandemic relief packages, such as the CARES Act. Many in the entertainment industry earn a mix of wages as employees for productions such as TV shows, as well as income as self-employed creators, gig workers or local musicians. These so-called mixed-earners typically may not earn enough as a W-2-employee to qualify for any state unemployment benefits. The result is that some are losing thousands of dollars in benefits, the group said.
Hundreds of thousands of workers in entertainment and the arts nationally have reported lower hours or loss of work as a result of the health crisis. The coronavirus outbreak in March led and television production across the country, as well as live theater and music performances and recordings.The aid comes as Hollywood attempts to start film production, although most of the activity has been limited to smaller crews, with a few popular TV shows like “The Bold and the Beautiful” filming on sound stages. Meeting the safety requirements for filming has created a financial and operational challenge for productions.
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