As SAG-AFTRA seeks to modify its healthcare plans for the New Year, a number of notable union members including Clancy Brown, Whoopi Goldberg, Mark Hamill and Morgan Freeman voiced their concerns with the changes in a social media video.
“Have you heard of a union doing union busting in a pandemic? It’s obscene,” a number of Hollywood stars said in the video.
Back in August SAG-AFTRA Health Plan announced that it would raise premiums and earnings thresholds for Jan. 1 in order to stay afloat. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, accused the plan of determining cuts “illegally discriminate based on age.”
Bringing attention to the ongoing class action lawsuit against the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan and its trustees, the video kicks off with notable voice actor Clancy Brown recalling his time joining the union.
“The day I got my union card I became a proud member of a professional family. Respected, backed by a powerful group that would protect my interests, respect my overtime, my workplace conditions and ensure my healthcare. Even after I stopped working they promised to be there for me,” he said. “I agreed to that covenant, I paid into that plan my entire career.”
The video, from Eleven Films, continues and features a number of additional stars including Amy Schumer, Vincent D’Onofrio, Elliott Gould and Martin Sheen – who share how long they’ve been part of the Union.
The stars say that the trustees had known about potential cuts for two years, expressing disappointment with the insider-only knowledge and alleged failure to inform members.
“Now they say, ‘you’re on your own, you’re no longer covered, your no longer safe’,” Freeman adds.
Also featured in the video are former SAG president Ed Asner and Goldberg. The latter expressed her dismay with the in-the-works cuts, saying “I’m really pissed about it, really pissed.”
See the social media video, also featuring Matthew Modine, Kirk Acevedo, Jodi Long and Frances Fisher, below.
From @SOSHealthPlan:
The entire duty of unions is to protect the most vulnerable members.
95% of #SAGAFTRA members earn <25K/yr.
They’re stand-ins. Stunts. VO. Background.12K just got kicked off their health plan. During a pandemic.
What would you do?#SOSHealthplan pic.twitter.com/2VzWD2kcFg
— Eleven Films (@Eleven_Films) December 1, 2020