The "top stars" are also hurting. They are more likely to be invested in films, or expecting big paydays to pay their big mortgages. So George and company may be willing to kick in some pocket change to clear the logjam.

That was kind of what I thought. While it's nice he is doing this, he should have done it after the strike. This only serves to let the studios off the hook.

Plus when IATSE is next up to negotiate they're going to get hosed because "not even SAG-AFTRA could get that".

Imo Clooney et al. are hoping to get all the actors back to work because strike pay isn't cutting it. Bribing AFTRA isn't a bad thing at this point as there's already stories of actors loosing housing, etc.

The studio should be, but that would have to be in the bargaining agreement.

I don't know of any company that pays for regular health benefits for gig work. I've had contract work at a long term site (government contracts) pay for healthcare but never heard it for entertainment.

I mean it is...

Clooney is saying people that make as much as he does should pay more into the union then someone whose had a handful of TV commercials over the last decade.

Having union dues be an uncapped percentage of earnings is basically the same as a progressive tax bracket where the more you earn, the higher percent is paid to taxes.

Flat union dues aren't bad for most vocations. But actors have insane income disparities, all of show biz does.

I would agree. From the outside it makes it look like fragmentation within the union.

Booo they edited it out!

mushrooms and other fungi.

This is the kind of AI-shenanigans I look forward to.

Yep makes perfect sense.

Copy/pasting and every news site has shit to edit out.

My bad for missing that.

The money is going to AFTRA, not the studios.