Tentative WGA Deal Grants Members Who Are About To Lose Well being Protection An Extension – Deadline

WGA members who will lose their well being protection on October 1 shall be granted prolonged protection via the top 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 taking a beating for the reason that Writers Guild went on strike on Might 2, adopted by SAG-AFTRA on July 14, attributable to a scarcity of employer contributions. The Movement Image Trade Pension & Well being Plans (MPIPHP), which is protecting IATSE’s West Coast locals, Teamsters Native 399 and several other different trade unions, is reportedly down $150 million in employer contributions in the course of the strikes.

A number of 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.

Final month, trustees of the SAG-AFTRA Well being Plan unanimously agreed to a one-calendar-quarter extension of well being protection for sure certified members who would in any other case lose protection on Oct. 1.

And trustees of the DGA Pension & Well being Plans authorized a free major medical plan final month for members who lose protection due to the strikes. The MPIPHP has additionally eased necessities that their members have to qualify for well being protection with a view to assist members and dependents affected by the strikes.