Call to Action - We Need Your Voice

Dear Member,

More than 5,000 members of SAG-AFTRA and IATSE joined me in a livestream town hall with U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff and IATSE International President Matt Loeb today.

We told Congressman Schiff that the entertainment and media community is grateful for the relief efforts the CARES Act provided to help those in the entertainment media industry who are affected by the COVID-19 crisis — actors, broadcasters, recording artists and more.

However, despite its many benefits, the CARES Act has fallen short in some critical ways including the hole that Congress must fix to make sure workers who earn “mixed income” — which means W2 plus 1099 income — are able to access maximum benefits and stay afloat during this crisis. 

You can take action now to help the entertainment media community!

Contact your member of Congress and tell them to fix the flaws in the implementation of the CARES Act so workers in the entertainment and media community get the aid they need to survive.

Take action now to help protect all of us. CLICK HERE TO EMAIL AND TWEET YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS NOW.

Strength in unity,

Gabrielle Carteris
SAG-AFTRA President

Sample Letter

My name is [Insert Name] and I live in your district.

I am writing to ask that Congress act to protect the millions of artists, actors, writers, directors and technical professionals who make the American entertainment industry a critical economic driver and major cultural export for our country. These people have a major impact in every state, but the vast majority rely on non-traditional work arrangements to make a middle-class living. The shutdown of our public lives during this unprecedented time has left many of them without an income for the foreseeable future. We need American entertainment to survive, and they need your help. 

The CARES Act made important changes to our social safety net to ensure that gig workers could access relief during this crisis. But many in the entertainment industry have been denied CARES Act benefits because of unclear and burdensome regulations. Congress can fix these issues easily and should ensure the  entire "gig" economy is eligible for CARES Act relief.

Losing entertainment means losing billions of dollars of contributions to our GDP. The entertainment industry and its workers will give us the inspiration to make it through these hard times. Please work with your colleagues to make the CARES Act work for the creators in our community.