LIUNA! LOCAL 724 SUPPORT FUND FAQ
MPTF HOTLINE TO APPLY: (323) 634-3888
On August 1, 2023, the LIUNA! General Executive Board along with the Southern California District Council of Laborers and its affiliates approved up to $500k in financial aid to assist LIUNA! Local 724 Members that have been impacted by the industry slowdown since the onset of 2023, as well as the WGA strike which began on May 1st, 2023. This fund is NOT available to Local Union staff
MPTF (the Motion Picture and Television Fund / www.mptf.com) has been designated as the fund’s administrator. LIUNA! Local 724 and the MPTF have a longstanding relationship and have worked together in the past to support the industry workforce in hard times. MPTF has been provided guidelines of eligibility and will be the only entity that holds, approves, and disperses the money included in the fund. It should be noted that MPTF’s team will do a full assessment to determine all resourcesthat a member might be eligible for, outside of simply this fund. Their approach to care is very thorough to help the most amount of industry workers to the best of their ability across all areas of need.
There are several pieces to establishing your eligibility to ensure the funds are being distributed to those most in-need and those that have regularly worked in the industry prior to 2023.
- Provide either a 2022 or 2023 Paystub reflecting work in the Motion Picture Industry (this applies to only Liuna! Local 724 Members working under the Motion Picture Agreement).
- LIUNA Local 724 in ‘Good-Standing’ per the Laborers International Union of North America Constitution (NOT Suspended, paying off Initiation or Retired). Membership status to be confirmed by the Local Union of the applying member.
- Demonstrable financial assistance is requested. (Application, bill(s), bank statements)
- $10,000 or less in allowable liquid assets, not to include retirement funds such as IAP, Annuities, or IRA’s.
- Up to $1,500 Grants to be provided in the form of bill(s) to be paid directly by MPTF.
MPTF has been designated as the fund administrator to establish eligibility. They will work closely with the Local Unions of the members that apply for verification of Union standing. Should a member apply and NOT be in good standing with their Local at the time of application, however return their status to good-standing, an individualwould at that time be able to continue to application process for this fund. If a member is determined ineligible for this specific fund, MPTF will still look for ways to support a member if there are other services or funds available.
For LIUNA Local 724 members seeking financial support, the process begins with a call to the MPTF hotline (323) 634-3888. Please provide the information asked for on the hotline. Members’ calls will be returned by an MPTF social worker who will assess their eligibility and specific circumstances/needs.
Next, the assigned social worker will walk the member through the process of applying for financial assistance, which includes the completion of a financial assistance application. If approved, the financial assistance will not go to the Member directly but will instead cover bill(s) directly, so MPTF will need a copy of these as well. Members will be notified by their assigned social worker of the determination.
This depends on the volume of calls MPTF is experiencing. Current turnaround time is approximately 5 to 7 business days.
The LIUNA! Local 724 Financial Support Fund grants are roughly up to $1,500. As mentioned above, these grants do not go directly to Members, but rather to those designated vendors (banks for mortgages or car payments, utility company, landlord, healthcare providers or insurers) provided to MPTF.
Yes. The LIUNA! Local 724 Financial Support Fund will supplement any other form of relief its members are receiving because of the loss of work.
Yes, and yes. All eligible members of LIUNA Local 724 will be considered for this plan individually and grants will be determined and made on an individual basis. If the household shares finances, we will be looking for a shared bank statement with less than $10,000 to determine financial assistance.
We are working with MPTF to ensure that the greatest number of eligible industry Members have the opportunity for a single grant of financial assistance for the highest amount of support. Members will receive only one grant but will receive the largest grant available at the time.
We cannot answer that definitively right now, LIUNA Local 724 needs to see how many of the members qualify for financial assistance under the parameters that have been set and then determine if there is funding for additional relief. Given the uncertainties around the duration of this situation, our advice today would be to assume that it is one-time.
First call should be to your Local Union to review your account.