Daily Archives: 03/31/2020

Announce: Message from IATSE Political Department

The following was sent to members via the announce mechanism on Mar. 31st 2020 via the office of the president:


Dear Members,

The following is a communication from our union’s Political Department:

In this challenging time, the IATSE Political Department is pleased to highlight this press release regarding the successful passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security “CARES” Act by Congress moments ago:

https://www.iatse.net/news/congress-passes-cares-act-providing-immediate-economic-relief-entertainment-workers <https://www.iatse.net/news/congress-passes-cares-act-providing-immediate-economic-relief-entertainment-workers>

This bill will provide tangible and immediate economic relief for entertainment workers across the United States. Most notably, the bill increases and extends unemployment benefits, sends one time direct payments, establishes the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program for those who would otherwise not qualify, and increases federal arts funding.

While many entertainment workers were not eligible for the relief in earlier pieces of COVID-19 legislation, we won access to economic relief through over 107,000 emails by IATSE members and allies, calls, social media posts, and other outreach to Members of Congress. Thank you to all of you who emailed your legislators and facilitated outreach to have your brothers, sisters, and kin do the same. We all share in this victory.

Attached is a flowchart – produced by the Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) in partnership with the IATSE and other arts, entertainment, media industry unions – to provide initial guidance on how to access the expanded unemployment insurance benefits.

In addition, here is the National Employment Law Project factsheet on the unemployment provisions in the “CARES” Act:

https://www.nelp.org/publication/unemployment-insurance-provisions-coronavirus-aid-relief-economic-security-cares-act/ <https://www.nelp.org/publication/unemployment-insurance-provisions-coronavirus-aid-relief-economic-security-cares-act/>

The fight is not over. We remain focused on ensuring that subsequent COVID-19 relief legislation includes pension relief, access to affordable healthcare, and economic support for the entertainment industry to put people back to work.





Rachel Magee,
President.