MPTF Sends Out Urgent Plea For Donations To Aid Below-The-Line Crews, “The Forgotten Casualties” Of Ongoing WGA & SAG-AFTRA Strikes
deadline.comThe Motion Picture & Television Fund has sent out an urgent plea for donations to help below-the-line crew members effected by the ongoing Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA strikes – workers whom MPTF President & CEO Bob Beitcher says, “Have become the forgotten casualties during these strikes.” Many of those seeking assistance, he says, “are at risk of losing their homes, their cars, and their ability to pay utility or medical bills.” In an open letter to the entertainment community (read it in full below), Beitcher said that “these strikes are having an absolutely awful and devastating impact on the non-striking industry workforce, most especially our below-the-line crews.” Donations can be made here.
As reported here Wednesday, MPTF has already granted nearly $1 million in financial assistance to industry workers since the Writers Guild went on strike on May 2, followed by SAG-AFTRA on July 14.
And during the first seven months of 2023, requests to the MPTF for financial aid have been coming in six-times faster than they did during the same period last year.
To help pay their bills, the MPTF provides grants of $1,500 to eligible industry members. “We are now over three months into a work stoppage without – from where I sit – any end in sight,” Beitcher writes in his open letter. “Like everybody else, I hope all parties can come together and resolve their differences soon.
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