Writers Guild of America members at risk of losing their union health plan on Oct. 1 due to the strike will have their coverage extended through the end of 2023.
The extension, which came as part of the tentative agreement announced Sunday between the guild and studios, was announced in a memo sent to members of the Producer-Writers Guild of America Pension & Health Plan on Monday from WGA West assistant executive director Lise Anderson.
“Per the tentative agreement, WGA writers who are scheduled to lose PWGA health care coverage on 10/1/23 will be extended coverage for an additional quarter through 12/31/23. The same extension applies to writers who will exhaust their COBRA eligibility,” Anderson wrote.
The extension is similar to one approved by the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan earlier this summer to extend coverage to actors who worked at least 85 days or earned at least $22,000 between July 2022 and June 2023. This was to allow health plan members who lost work due to the WGA strike that could have ensured they met the earnings requirements for coverage to maintain it through the end of the year.
WGA West declined further comment, citing the need to keep the details of the tentative agreement confidential until after it is approved by the guild board on Tuesday afternoon.
The tentative agreement was announced at around 7:15 PM PT on Sunday by the Writers Guild, who hailed it as an “exceptional” contract that would provide “meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.”
Along with approving the agreement for member presentation, the WGA West Board and WGA East Council are expected to vote on a date in which writers would formally be allowed to return to work even before the contract is ratified.
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