I’m frequently asked what the benefits of belonging to a union are. Our Political Coordinator, Christopher Anderson, passed along this Twitter post detailing the benefits of belonging to a union. Matthew Hahn, the writer, lives in California which has better worker protection laws and a more labor-friendly climate than North Carolina but even here, in a Right to Work state there are very good reasons to belong to a union. During the pandemic, IATSE donated money to the Actor’s Fund specifically to hand out $2000 grants to cardholders who were suffering financial hardship as a result of the shutdown of live production. They paid my (very expensive) insurance premiums for over 2 years during that time. Every job you work under a contract with Local 417 includes employer-paid contributions to your health and welfare fund, annuity, and the Training Trust Fund. If you work under an IATSE contract you are eligible to have Union sponsored insurance and take advantage of educational opportunities available through TTF.