SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher Doubles Down On Concerns About Hollywood’s Covid-19 Vaccination Mandate

deadline.com:

SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher is doubling down on her concerns about Hollywood’s Covid-19 vaccination mandate, saying that “Help is on the way!” for those who refuse to be vaccinated in order to work because of their religious beliefs or preexisting health conditions. “I continue to fight on behalf of our members who feel discriminated against because of the Covid unvaccinated or un-boosted status, which is keeping them from working in major studio productions,” she writes in the latest issue of the SAG-AFTRA Magazine. “For those members not being fairly considered by studios with regards to their religious or health exemptions, help is on the way!” “As a result of this lingering policy, many performers have lost their representation, their medical benefits and their livelihoods,” she wrote, noting that the guild will soon be sending out a membership survey she proposed on this and other issues. “We want to take the pulse of the entire member body on this issue and many more, so watch for the national SAG-AFTRA survey, and answer all the questions to help our National Board best represent you,” she wrote.

Drescher also clashed with members of her own ruling party about the efficacy of the vaccinations at a heated SAG-AFTRA national board meeting in July.

Hollywood’s Covid protocols, which in October were extended until Jan. 31, 2023 – per an agreement between the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers and Hollywood’s unions – gives employers the limited option to require Covid vaccinations as a condition of employment.

The mandates, however, are “subject to reasonable accommodations as required by law for individuals who cannot be vaccinated due to disability or a sincerely held religious belief,