Friday, October 08, 2021
Kennedy Center Union Authorizes Strike Over Pay Cuts & Layoffs
Deadline: With the Tony-winning Hadestown set to make its Washington D.C. debut at the Kennedy Center next week, stagehands at the celebrated venue have authorized a strike vote over what it calls “draconian” wage cuts, job eliminations and other proposed workplace changes.
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This is an interesting situation because the Kennedy Center and IATSE are claiming very different reasons for why this strike is happening. I do know from experience that IATSE locals do tend to want as much of a monopoly as possible on stagehand work. They are typically not fond of theaters that keep some work open to non-union members. While I do not doubt that that is a sticking point for local 22 and definitely a determining factor in this strike, I also believe them when they say they want more clarity in scheduling information. That very much resonates with the film and TV studio IATSE locals that want to be able to have a home life. I am curious what these alleged draconian wage cuts are. When the rest of the world is fighting for $15 an hour, any IATSE wage dispute is going to sound incredibly tone deaf since they’re making around $30, which is probably why IATSE won’t share the specifics of the wage cuts.
It seems like there’s been an uptick in organized labor actions lately, I’m curious about whether that’s an actual uptick or just an association effect of increased journalistic attention because of the big IATSE streaming strike. And if it is an actual uptick, whether that’s indicative of increased public support of organized labor or if it’s just because of companies exploiting workers using the opportunities provided by the pandemic. I hope it’s the former.
The statement from the Kennedy Center strikes me as a little bit fishy; the “the union is lying and what they’re asking for would destroy the company and force us to end something we do for our customers” talking point is pretty old and usually bullshit. You can compensate people appropriately and still have a positive impact on the community if those are your priorities. Usually that line of reasoning is a scare tactic that’s based more in politics than reality.
I’m seeing a common theme with regional theatres throughout all the news articles I’ve read so far: Venues are getting millions in relief money and STILL WON’T PAY THEIR DAMN STAGEHANDS. The vote to authorize a strike doesn’t immediately start one, but with Hadestown at the Kennedy Center in 2 weeks it is one hell of a threat. Leadership of the Kennedy Center is portraying this as a single contract issue of whether they hire IATSE for outside events, but if that was it then the union wouldn’t be going so hardball on this contract. No one wants to risk their livelihood with a strike for just that. I’m sure the Kennedy Center is underpaying it’s staff and being loose on COVID restrictions, because those would justify a strike. Workers only have power when they work together, and the union deserves to fight for a living wage and safety for their members. We must fight for what we deserve, or else we will always be exploited.
Y'know, I'm not really one to trust big businesses, including big venue management, but this article leaves me kind of conflicted. On one hand, I'm happy to see a surge in unions standing up for themselves and demanding fair compensation, and access to a home life. On the other hand, IATSE and the Kennedy Center are citing different reasons for the disagreement, and from this one article alone, more evidence for the Kennedy Center's argument seems to exist. I'm all for fixing the scheduling issue, and if the wage cuts are actually that draconian, then it's correct to fight back against that as well, but if the true issue is really expanding IATSE's jurisdiction in terms of Kennedy Center work, then I can't help but remain conflicted.
Regardless, this is one hell of a powerful position for IATSE Local 22 to be in. Weeks away from the first Broadway performance at the venue in a long time, that's quite the bargaining chip. Does not appear to be a good situation for the Kennedy Center.
There seems to be a lot of union activity in recent months, as people are pushing back against the harmful workplace practices of businesses that are often benefiting from both federal relief money as well as cutting wages for their workers. It's disappointing to hear that the Kennedy Center is in such a situation. However, hopefully this strike will lead to change. The union has a lot of bargaining power as it stands; it's incredibly difficult to replace an entire team of stagehands that know a theater inside and out right before a show, to train them, and to have them work together well. Stagehands are trained theatre professionals and should be paid as such. Just because they aren't seen doesn't mean they aren't vital to the life of a show. Until theaters around the world recognize that, unions won't stop fighting for better wages and schedules.
To be quite honest, I do not know much about unions in theatre aside from what I know through IATSE Instagram and what I’ve heard from the other people around me. It is interesting to see a shift in the power dynamics here. It is only such a short time before the opening night, so a full blown worker strike could cause a MASSIVE headache for the theatre. I do wonder though, as the other commenters have posted the differences in reason for the strike. I want to point out a comment other people have said about wages. $15 is the minimum wage where I used to live, so it is shocking to me that it is the industry standard. I know the cost of living is different in other parts of the country, but I still find it shocking because rent is not the only expense people go through. I do think that the strike on budget cuts are worth it.
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