WGA members who will lose their well being protection on October 1 will probably be granted prolonged protection by means of the tip of the yr, per the guild’s tentative agreement. The extension additionally applies to writers who will exhaust their COBRA advantages eligibility. WGA members will quickly be voting to ratify the brand new deal.
Union well being plans have been tak ing a beating because the Writers Guild went on strike on May 2, adopted by SAG-AFTRA on July 14, as a consequence of a scarcity of employer contributions. The Motion Picture Industry Pension & Health Plans (MPIPHP), which is protecting IATSE’s West Coast locals, Teamsters Local 399 and several other different business unions, is reportedly down $150 million in employer contributions in the course of the strikes.
Several other health plans, together with these protecting members of the DGA, SAG-AFTRA and IATSE, have made it simpler to acquire well being protection in the course of the strikes.
Last month, trustees of the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan unanimously agreed to a one-calendar-quarter extension of well being protection for sure certified individuals who would in any other case lose protection on Oct. 1.
And trustees of the DGA Pension & Health Plans permitted a free major medical plan final month for individuals who lose protection due to the strikes. The MPIPHP has additionally eased necessities that their members must qualify for well being protection with a view to assist individuals and dependents affected by the strikes.
: .