CMU School of Drama


Friday, November 06, 2015

Fired Riviera Stagehands Allege Unfair Wages, Unsafe Working Conditions

DNAinfo.com Chicago: Legendary Chicago stage manager Jolly Roger stepped out from his customary spot behind the cameras and microphones Wednesday afternoon to protest the firing of his team of stagehands at the Riviera Theatre and to demand their jobs back.

The stagehands had not received raises in seven years, were asked to perform unsafe work and were not allowed to negotiate for health insurance, Roger alleged at the protest.

1 comment:

Scott MacDonald said...

When the first article came out about these firings, I was curious but not too concerned. As Jam productions management continues to stay quiet, I am beginning to be convinced that they were treating their employees unfairly. I doubt the workers protesting would lie about any of the things they have said. It sounds like a very unfortunate situation of management not valuing their employees enough to prioritize them as a company asset. Having good stagehands is extremely important, so treating your employees like completely replaceable parts that are of no particular importance to the company is very concerning.
Mickelson has only stated that “There are two sides to every story.” So why haven’t we heard his side yet? So far, the stagehands’ side appears to make a pretty strong case against Mickelson and his company. I think this lack of care for their employees is very frustrating, and the fact that the employees are trying to be diplomatic and are willing to go back to work for the same company shows how important these jobs are to their livelihood and how serious and careless these firings were.