Dear Member,
After months of delay, I was pleased to learn that Congress has passed a COVID relief bill, which you probably know includes $600 relief payments. What you may not know is that legislation championed by the union was also included.
Since the last round of relief several months ago, we have been calling lawmakers’ attention to the disparity faced by those who have nontraditional employment arrangements — like our performer members. Thanks to those efforts, the new bill includes additional $100 weekly payments for mixed income earners.
The relief bill has presented an opportunity to fulfill some of our other legislative priorities. One part of the omnibus bill will create a voluntary small claims court that allows copyright holders to seek redress without having to take their cases to federal district court. Suing in federal court can be expensive, leaving smaller creators effectively unprotected by the law. This court should provide a faster and more affordable avenue for creators to get justice.
During this pandemic, live entertainment has been hit hard. The bill also provides $15 billion for movie theaters and music venues, to help keep them afloat until we get through the pandemic and can return to some approximation of normalcy.
And the bill also stiffens the penalties for commercial streaming of copyrighted works, making it a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison. We believe creators should be the ones profiting from their hard work.
There is a lot of good to celebrate in this relief package and should be positive steps on the road to recovery. At the same time, there is more to be done in the challenging months ahead and SAG-AFTRA will continue to fight on your behalf to make sure our membership and our industry are recognized in future relief efforts.
Stay safe and happy holidays.
Strength in unity,
Gabrielle Carteris
President
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