Posts tagged actors
Why Biden’s Pro-worker Stance Isn’t Working
March 19, 2024 //
UAW president Shawn Fain on labor’s comeback: “This is what happens when workers get power”
February 26, 2024 // Volkswagen worker Shaun Lawler says skepticism of the UAW runs deep in the community. When asked how his family views unions, he replied, "They don't see it as a good opportunity; they see layoffs." What do they call unions? "They call them communist," Lawler said.
Over half a million Americans went on strike last year—a 141% increase
February 20, 2024 //
Actors’ Equity Votes to Authorize Strike Over Developmental Work
February 16, 2024 // At the end of the 2019 strike, which saw stage managers and actors refuse to take part in developmental work, union members who take part in the development of a production gained a share in 1 percent of the show’s profits, once the show goes on to a full production and recoups, as well as a salary increase.
Actors’ Equity Assn. Authorizes A Strike Against Broadway League Over Expiring Development Agreement
February 13, 2024 // The labor union representing more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers in live theatre has voted to authorize a strike against The Broadway League, the trade association for Broadway. The National Council of Actors’ Equity Association’s unanimous vote does not begin a strike. But it is a saber rattle that business as usual could be disrupted if they can’t reach consensus on the Development Agreement, which supports the creation of new works by Broadway League producers.
Biden Takes a Destructive California Idea National
February 4, 2024 // The Biden administration appears undeterred by the lessons of recent history. The California law unleashed chaos in the state’s politics and courts. Politicians delegated to union leaders the power to hand out exemptions to politically favored groups. Lawyers, doctors, psychologists, dentists, podiatrists — almost anybody with an advanced degree was exempt. When newspapers editorialized against the new law — noting that they rely on freelance photographers, reporters, editors, designers, and delivery people — they, too, were excluded from the new regulations. Suddenly free from the dead hand of state regulators, the newspapers turned as one and editorialized in favor of the new law. A federal judge said the process was shot through with “corruption,” “backroom dealing,” “pure spite,” and “naked favoritism.” But more important, A.B. 5 crushed tens of thousands of California business owners — those who operate as independent contractors as well as those who employ or otherwise rely on them. Now Biden and Su plan to bring the crazy to every American state.
Are Unions Experiencing a Renaissance? Not Quite
January 24, 2024 // The reality is that, although the absolute number of union members has risen, nonunion jobs have increased faster.2 Gallup data support the apparent lack of worker demand for joining a union. Although 17% of workers are highly interested in joining a labor union, six in 10 U.S. employees say they are “not interested at all,” unchanged from 2022.
Commentary: Biden’s Independent-Contracting Rule Destroys Worker Independence
January 16, 2024 // A recent regulatory change by the Biden administration is so poorly designed, there’s no telling exactly how many workers will be hurt.
COMMENTARY: Good news: 2023 won’t mark a union revival
January 3, 2024 // The decline of union membership has been remarkably steady over the last four decades. Since 2000, the year-to-year change in the unionization rate has been positive only six times, and those small gains have quickly been reversed. Moreover, the latest data show that unionization is increasingly concentrated in the government sector, especially local services such as K-12 education and public safety. Only 6% of private sector workers are union members.
Costumer waits for work to pick up post-union strikes
January 1, 2024 // NY1 spoke to Quanci in May, when the writers strike began and her work was impacted. Both the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, which began striking in July, were fighting for protections around better pay and residuals, as well as regulated use of artificial intelligence. Now, in this time of flux, she says she and her husband, who works as a camera operator, have had to take on side jobs. “For me, that means taking on a part-time job as a sales associate at a local boutique, which has been a great structure builder for me,” she said. She doesn't know how long the side jobs will be needed before she can get back to her profession in earnest, but says she continues to do what she has to to make ends meet. She hopes her industry picks up again in the new year.