Animation Guild’s Executive Board voted to donate $210,000 to support all members’ whose jobs have been among the industry’s least impacted by the Covid-19 shutdown. The guild will donate International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) members through the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) and the Los Angeles Federation of Labor’s Labor Community Services division.
“While most sectors of the entertainment industry are suffering significant job loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of Animation Guild members’ work has not been impacted, and guild membership has increased since the last quarter,” the guild said in a statement. “As a result, the executive board determined that the Animation Guild IATSE Local 839, as part of the larger IATSE community, should pay it forward by supporting those who are in need now or will need assistance in the future.”
Executive board member Jack Cusumano added, “We have a unique blessing in that we’re still able to work, so I think it’s our duty to lend a hand to others in IATSE who are having a harder time right now.”
The MPTF will receive $200,000 from the guild to support all IATSE members, while Labor Community Services will receive $10,000 to support their ongoing efforts to bring food to union members.