SAG-AFTRA poll: Members wholeheartedly support the Covid vaccination mandate

A large majority of SAG-AFTRA members who responded to a guild poll say they approve of Hollywood’s Covid vaccine mandate. More than two-thirds (67.1%) of members surveyed said “they agree with employers requiring Covid vaccination as a condition of access to kit”, with 26.1% saying they disagree and 6.8% do not express an opinion.

According to the guild, 7,696 members returned valid answers, representing just over 5% of the guild’s eligible members.

A second, vaguely worded question also shows support for the mandate. It asked: “If there are extenuating circumstances that mean production cannot continue without a vaccine mandate from the employer, do you support the employer implementing such a mandate?” According to a guild source, 56.6% voted with 28.5%. , with 14.9% giving no opinion.

The results of the study were announced at today’s meeting of the National Board of Directors. Hollywood unions and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers agreed on Friday to extend the Covid protocols, which included the mandate, until April 1.

Fran Drescher, president of SAG-AFTRA, called for the investigation. Drescher, who claims to be vaccinated himself, is a leading opponent of the mandate. “I continue to fight for our members who feel discriminated against because of their unvaccinated or unstimulated status from Covid, which prevents them from working in major studio productions,” she writes in the latest issue of SAG-AFTRA Magazine. “For those members who are not fairly accounted for by the studios regarding their religious or health waivers, help is on the way!

“As a result of this continued policy, many artistes have lost their representation, medical facilities and livelihood. As a result of this continued policy, many artists have lost their representation, medical facilities and livelihood.”

She encouraged members to take the poll, writing: “We want to feel the pulse of the entire membership on this topic and more, so stay tuned to the SAG-AFTRA national poll and answer any questions to the best of our ability.” Representatives of the National Board du,” she wrote.

The Covid protocols, first adopted on September 21, 2020, allowed work and manufacturing to recover from an industry-wide collapse early in the pandemic. The protocols have since been expanded several times and amended in July 2021 to give producers “the ability to implement mandatory Zone A cast and crew vaccination policies on a production basis.” Zone A, where unmasked actors work, is the most restrictive of the safe work zones on sets.

The mandate is subject to “subject to reasonable accommodation, as required by law, for persons who cannot be vaccinated because of disability or sincerely held religious belief, practice or observance.” However, many opponents of the vaccination mandate say these exemptions are too rarely granted.

During Saturday’s board meeting, national executive director Duncan Crabtree indicated that SAG-AFTRA offices across the country would reopen on Monday. “The union’s offices will return to normal hours and mask and mandatory vaccination policies will remain in place for the safety of staff and other members,” the guild said.

Crabtree-Ireland also released the Guild’s previously reported statement about possible criminal charges against Alec Baldwin in connection with the accidental death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of rustHe said, “It’s not an actor’s job to be a firearms or weapons expert.”