IATSE_3rd2017_web

agreement. It provides a mechanism for
new venues to come within the terms of
the contract with work awarded to the IA
Local having geographic jurisdiction over
each venue. This has provided employment
opportunities to numerous local
unions that otherwise might not have
successfully secured the work. Nonetheless,
a handful of Spectra facilities are not
covered due to municipal opposition. We
continue to explore ways to resolve these
exceptions.
The IATSE’s national contract with
Live Nation last expired in December
2015. During the term of that agreement
11 additional Live Nation venues came
within the IA’s jurisdiction. Participating
Locals submitted proposals for their
unique needs. A resulting five-year agreement
was reached. Any Locals that previously
worked under conditions inferior
to the terms of the national contract
were improved to minimum levels. Some
Locals will see economic increases of as
much as 21.5 percent over the life of the
contract.
As noted elsewhere in my report to
this Convention, recent political election
seasons have offered abundant event
work opportunities for IATSE stagecraft
members. Campaign events— often occurring
on stage and in arenas—require
competent professional stage technicians.
For the 2016 U.S. election cycle,
both major Democratic Party primary
campaigns signed contracts with the International
covering campaign events
throughout the U.S. The 2016 election
also marks the fifth time since 2000 that
the International has had a contract with
the Commission on Presidential Debates.
This agreement standardizes conditions
for all IATSE members working on presidential
debates and incorporates wages
and benefit distinctions important to the
local unions where the debates are held.
The General Office generates Pink Contracts
for members (in the classifications
of staging, electrical/sound, and rigging)
traveling on the debate circuit.
In 2016, presidential debates were held
in Hempstead, New York; St. Louis, Missouri;
and Las Vegas, Nevada. The Vice-
Presidential debate was held in Longwood,
Virginia. It should be noted that
these debates are typically held on college
campuses, where IA local unions might
not otherwise have established collective
bargaining agreements. It remains critical
that the General Office ensure work
opportunities for local union members
wherever these events are held. I also assigned
a representative to visit each site
and meet with the local unions involved.
Reports indicate exceptional work by our
skilled members of Locals One, 6, 720, 87
and 285 on these important events. These
agreements were made possible by our
commitment to political activism and resulted
in a tremendous amount of work
for our members.
Organizing
One of the IATSE’s important recent
organizing efforts involved amphitheaters
operated by Live Nation in Atlanta.
The IA won a National Labor Relations
Board (NLRB) election involving stagehands
working for the labor contractor
Crew One in the Summer of 2014. The
company refused to bargain and the
NLRB issued a complaint based on unfair
labor practice charges we filed in response
to that conduct. Crew One then appealed
to a federal appeals court, which ruled
against the IA, finding that the workers
were independent contractors without
collective bargaining rights. Meanwhile,
I authorized an aggressive campaign to
publicize Live Nation’s complicity in Crew
One’s deficient labor practices. The campaign
included press outreach, appeals to
Live Nation’s board of directors, an online
petition drive, and a website compiling
our publicity. After intense negotiations,
we reached a settlement with Live Nation,
which resulted in Atlanta area amphitheaters
coming within the jurisdiction of
Local 927 in 2016 and 2017. The Lakewood
Amphitheater, the Verizon Amphitheater
and Chastain Park Amphitheater
are now IA facilities.
The Live Nation Atlanta campaign
was notable for the coordination of
efforts by the Stagecraft Department,
Communications Department, Education
and Training Department, and Legal
Department. This was a key victory in the
Alliance’s ongoing battle against cut-rate
labor contractors who are intent on exploiting
stage workers.
The International’s Stagecraft Department
also realized an historic milestone
with its victory at the Oregon
Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon.
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF)
is the largest regional theater in the U.S.
and has been in existence for over eighty
years. Previous efforts by the OSF crew to
organize have faltered. Most recently, in
1999 the IA lost a NLRB election by two
votes. In 2014, stagehands at the Festival
renewed their contacts with the IA and
sought representation.
As OSF became aware that its workers
were trying to organize, it mounted an
aggressive anti-union campaign. After
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