Thread by @ExtendPua

We are excited to watch the Live Events & Entertainment industry be represented today in the US Senate commerce committee. We hope to see industry leaders speak up for PUA, PEUC, FPUC, rent relief, healthcare relief, and more. We will be tweeting along here. #GiveUsTheMic

Tweet along with us about your needs and reactions. You can watch here:
commerce.senate.gov/2020/12/examin…

Thank you @JerryMoran @SenatorWicker for your opening statements. Especially good to hear @SenatorWicker say we are concerned about the "average men and women" of the industry. The workers need relief.

Hearing from David Fay, of the Bushnell Center about tens of thousands of workers... it's millions. We are millions of affected workers without jobs and in need of relief. #GiveUsTheMic

Thank you to David for acknowledging how long the road to recovery for this industry will be. Even as businesses start reopening and entertainment returns, our full workforce will take significantly longer to return. We need long term, robust relief.

David Fay has made a passionate plea for the survival of the events industry but has not advocated for any specific asks in his opening statements. We are thankful for his amplification. Here are our asks: ExtendPUA.org/the-mission

@SenBlumenthal mentioning #SaveOurStages again, a powerful piece of small biz legislation from our partners @nivassoc ... relief is two sided: companies AND workers. We'll be listening closely for robust and retroactive FPUC.

We are hearing specific from Adam Hartke of @nivassoc on the specifics of his PPP's loan. Workers need relief desperately too. We are going into personal debt without any support. Extending PUA and FPUC isn't enough. It must be retroactive. It must be robust.

.@nivassoc 's Adam Hartke mentioned an extension of the PUA program as part of his critique of inadequate PPP. PUA allows gig workers to collect UI and the program is set to expire Dec 26. PUA must be extended and eligibility expanded.

Ron Laffitte "Any relief for our industry should focus on our workers" - Thank you. That means relief must extend PUA and add additional weeks THIS WEEK, reinstate retroactive FPUC $600, and provide rent and healthcare relief.

"Save Our Stages is great, but we can do so much more." Thank you Ron Laffitte. We must save our workers, and all workers, too. #PeoplePowerEvents

Appreciative of the CEO of the American Bus Association for speaking on their struggle, we are a large family. We would have loved to see the leaders of our labor unions @IATSE @ActorsEquity or workers speaking directly to employee issues and needs. #GiveUsTheMic

Very disappointed to hear a testimony that calls for motor coach assistance and not one work on PUA and FPUC for the affected workers of that companies and millions of others. #GiveUsTheMic

Strickland mentions we have no lobbyists, but constituents in this industry have been directly lobbying their Senators through @ExtendPUA for the last two months. We have been telling our stories & moving the needle on relief behind closed doors. #PeoplePowerEvents #GiveUsTheMic

Strickland of @BanditLites advocating RESTART as beneficial for "all of the live events industry." RESTART does not help all of the workers that comprise these orgs. Robust/retroactive PUA & FPUC (casually mentioned so far), is necessary for those workers. #GiveUsTheMic

Strickland promised to speak for workers & made sure to mention "all 12 millions of us," but spent the almost the entirety of his speech on the RESTART Act, glossing over unemployment needs. Workers need more. We need retroactive FPUC $600 immediately.

The 5 testimonies given, all mostly in depth looks into small business legislation, did not mention the desperate state live events workers are in. Workers have lost their homes. Highly skilled technicians are in food lines. Keeping businesses alive does not keep us alive.

Saving our businesses does not save our industry. It must be both. Workers need robust and retroactive relief immediately. We are losing everything. #GiveUsTheMic #PeoplePowerEvents

"PPP won't save our people, won't save our venues," says Adam Hartke, reinforcing calls for different small biz legislation. Many freelancers, who comprise most of this industry, do not benefit. Direct aid is wholly required for freelancers. #GiveUsTheMic

"We don't want to be the Congress that lets the music die." @SenAmyKlobuchar. Venues aren't our music. Artists make music. Crew makes sure you can see & hear music. Workers need relief or there will be no one to fill your venues. SOS doesn't pay us. It must be both. #GiveUsTheMic

Strickland mentions 10M+ workers unemployed and underemployed. We have been surviving on as little as $7/week in UI since the $600 expired. RESTART is not the solution for these workers. We need additional PUA weeks, $600 retroactive to its expiration, & healthcare/rent relief.

Thank you @MarshaBlackburn for acknowledging that #SaveOurStages is not enough. An excellent opportunity to pivot to the affected workers. We are unemployed "though no fault of our own." We need robust unemployment relief and direct aid.

An hour in and we haven't heard anything from these industry or elected representatives about retroactive FPUC, healthcare with 100% COBRA subsidies, or rent relief for workers in this industry. Looking forward to hearing those topics discussed in the next hour! #GiveUsTheMic

Fay remarks that 'It could take decades for this industry to recover' - that means freelancers wholly unemployed or severely underemployed for years. Even as businesses return and shows start to happen, it will take much longer for a full workforce return. #PeoplePowerEvents

@SenMikeLee we'd love to discuss policy solutions that lead the road to recovery for this industry. They include:
-Extended PUA with additional weeks.
-Extended and retroactive $600 FPUC.
-Healthcare relief
-Rent relief

Strickland speaks out in support of liability protections. A worker should be speaking in this hearing. Workers will be devastated by these proposed sweeping liability protections. We need worker protections. And we need relief passed NOW; we cannot wait for debate on the issue.

.@SenatorSinema An Arizona Live Events worker who advocates with us has lost his career of 30+ years, has used all of his unemployment weeks so he has been without income for over a month now, and has lost his home and is living on a friend's couch. What are you doing about that?

We cannot call RESTART a wholistic bill. It does not assist workers. We DO need a wholistic solution and that means comprehensive relief: RESTART, SOS, additional weeks for PUA/PEUC, retroactive FPUC, healthcare relief, and rent relief. People power events and entertainment.

There seems to be a misconception in this hearing. All attending are speaking like workers are employees of these companies, but no one is speaking about our massive freelance workforce. A hearing that doesn't acknowledge that isn't acknowledging our unique industry.

.@SenToddYoung I've worked hundreds of gigs with gear from @TylerTrussInc. They don't employ me, but we are both necessary to make this industry thrive. Millions of workers in this industry are freelancers. Business legislation does not help us.

.@SenToddYoung, you cannot refer to helping "rank and file workers" in this industry and then promote RESTART. Our workers need unemployment and underemployment support. We need direct aid. It is difficult to hear you use our plight to further legislation that doesn't benefit us.

Strickland again talks about workers leaving the industry, but doesn't call out what we need so we will do it again for you, @SenatorCantwell.
We need unemployment support NOW - robust & retroactive FPUC, additional PUA, healthcare, and rent relief. #PeoplePowerEvents

The irony of microphone problems when workers are not included in the hearing on Live Events is not lost on us. #GiveUsTheMic

.@SenatorCantwell, this witness panel is not in touch with workers needs - most of us are not "working at Amazon". We are not working at all. There are no jobs. We cannot afford our needs by working at Amazon. Amazon is largely an unsafe workspace. We need unemployment support.

.@SenJackyRosen, Nevada has such a vibrant community of live events workers who are not employed by companies, but freelance throughout the state. They need your support through robust and retroactive unemployment legislation. #PeoplePowerEvents

Workers are facing a cliff too. PUA expires the day after Christmas, leaving millions of workers with 0 financial support. It's not the first cliff, it's the last. We lost the $600 in July and have been struggling to survive on minimal state UI and PUA since.

.@JerryMoran To answer your question on artists/workers and PPP: 42.8% of individuals who filled out ExtendPUA's survey* “should have” been helped by the PPP/EIDL program, but in reality only 8.8% of individuals benefited.
*7.2% small biz owners + 35.6% self employed

Last chance for ANY WITNESS to speak at length about what freelancers and workers need...

In his final statement Strickland talks about the ecosystem, but again doesn't advocate for what the "sound people" need. In his final statement, Hartke mentions that some people's PUA has run out. Millions more workers will lose all PUA on December 26. Pass #ReliefNow