As Hollywood’s writers strike approaches its 100th day, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees said Monday it is donating $2 million to charities that provide financial support for entertainment workers who are facing financial difficulties due to the industry’s work stoppage.
This donation is in addition to the $2 million that IATSE donated this past June for worker support. The donation will be split between the Motion Picture and Television Fund, the Entertainment Community Fund and the Actors Fund of Canada.
“The painful effects of these work stoppages on our membership cannot be overstated. As difficult as these times are, we have heard time and again that our members understand that this fight had to happen, and their collective support for the Actors and Writers help ensure they will receive that same support when we return to the bargaining table ourselves,” IATSE International president Matthew D. Loeb said.
As Loeb noted, IATSE’s turn to negotiate a new contract will be coming next summer, as its contracts with Hollywood studios expire at the end of July 2024.
Groups like the MPTF and Entertainment Community Fund were a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of entertainment workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, as production shutdowns left working-class crew members, actors and others unable to make ends meet.
Now, film and TV sets have gone dark again as members of the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA have gone on the first double Hollywood strike in 63 years to demand protections against artificial intelligence, higher compensation for streaming projects and other key demands that the unions say must be met to maintain the financial stability of their professions.
During the strike, top actors and showrunners have opened up their checkbooks to donate to these relief funds. Last week, “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane made a $1 million donation to the Entertainment Community Fund, while actors like Meryl Streep and Dwayne Johnson have made donations to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation‘s emergency relief fund.
For all of TheWrap’s WGA strike coverage, click here.
