Friday, April 21, 2023
Workers behind the scenes of Iowa's biggest productions seek 'voice, power and protection' through unions
Little Village: Hancher Auditorium’s relationship with the local stagehand union dates back to when the University of Iowa first created the venue.
“Hancher opened the same fall that CAMBUS started [1972],” recalled Mark Falk. “That was my freshman fall. [I thought] ‘Look at all this new stuff, that’s cool.’ As long as there’s been a Hancher, IATSE’s been involved with it.”
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
It is so interesting to me to see how normalized it had become in the industry to not work consistent hours. As someone who thrives off of a schedule and creates plans for different activities throughout the week, the wishy-washy-ness of the theatre industry would’ve frustrated me. Not to mention that without a union the company can just keep you there until the job is done. Even though sometimes unionizing can cause trouble with employers, I admire how these stagehands in Iowa worked together to advocate for one another and get the representation and respect they deserved by joining the union. I know as I look into going into this industry that unionizing will be a good idea because I will have more rights and be protected from anything that the company could throw my way. I hope for these stagehands in Iowa that they do receive their minimum wage and better working conditions and that the union helps them get the rights they deserve.
Post a Comment