IATSE: The Manitoba Labour Board has officially certified the prop workers’ union at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre (RMTC), with workers voting unanimously to join IATSE Local 63. The three-member unit, comprised of the Head of Props, Assistant Head of Props/Props Buyer, and Props Builder, voted 3 to 0 in favor of union representation.
2 comments:
More and more recently I've become more and more anti-union. For a lot of the locals it's become a way to gatekeep work from people trying to break into the industry rather than a way to ensure that everyone is equally care for in the workplace. It's become a special club rather than something for the stagehands to be apart of. I think thats rather disappointing because at it's heart union work is typically fantastic for the workers of a specific industry. But more and more recently it's seems that it's hurting our industry now more than benefiting it. But I also think that it just has to do with the fact that today, there just aren't as many jobs for people working here anymore. So for those that have the ability to deviate the work. They're trying to give it to people they know and thats causing issues for us all, and to be completely honest there really isn't a super good solution to this problem either.
IATSE continues to grow and I can't see it ever stopping anytime soon. Unions have always been a part of the theater and many workers both on and off stage will come into contact with one of the major unions at least once in their career. IATSE is a very challenging union to become a part of and the inclusion of new members can be space but in an industry that greatly resembles its labor based counterparts creating job certainty and safety is a must. Theater commonly gets away with overworking and burning out their technicians as the labor required to complete a show can become endless as to appeal to the artistic elements. A scenic designer can say a show's set is unfinished up until opening night or if there's an audience watching a said performance. Having a union such as IATSE can ensure the workers a fair environment that guarantees they will not be the overworked labor torn to shreds only to appease the artistic wants of production.
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