AEA files petition for WAITRESS non-union tour

A group of actors and stage managers employed by a nonunion touring production of the musical “Waitress” is seeking union representation, emboldened by a growing focus on working conditions in the theater business and by the labor movement’s recent successes in other industries.

Actors’ Equity Association, a labor union representing 51,000 performers and stage managers, said it had collected signatures from more than the 30 percent of workers required to seek an election, and that on Tuesday it had submitted an election petition to the National Labor Relations Board, which conducts such elections.

The number of people affected is small — there are 22 actors and stage managers employed by the tour, according to Equity — but the move is significant because it is the first time Equity has tried to organize a nonunion tour since an unsuccessful effort two decades ago to unionize a touring production of “The Music Man.” (The union also sought a boycott of that production.)

Union officials said the “Waitress” tour was an obvious place for an organizing campaign because of an unusually clear comparison: There are currently two touring companies of that musical, one of which is represented by the union and one of which is not. The workers in the nonunion tour are being paid about one-third of what the workers in the union company are making, and have lesser safety protections, Equity said. (The minimum union actor salary is $2,244 per week.)

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/12/theater/waitress-actors-equity-union.html

It's interesting that AEA is the one who approached the actors about this, not the other way around.

No doubt the producers will fight tooth and nail here. If this becomes unionized, it could set a major precedent going forward when producers have opted to go non-union. (I'm generally anti-non-eq tour because they're rarely very good –– often because of the quality of the actors involved.)

I support this and hope it succeeds. We pay Broadway prices despite non-equity tours coming that cheapen the production value and don’t give cast and crew the same protections. 

 

I'm a member of the American Federation of Teachers (AFL-CIO).  I hope AE succeeds in their quest.

That weekly union salary is not representative of all union tours. Most union tours are SETA and pay maybe half that rate if they’re lucky, but usually $200-300 more than nonunion tours.

OhHiii said: "ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "No doubt the producers will fight tooth and nail here. If this becomes unionized, it could set a major precedent going forward when producers have opted to go non-union. (I'm generally anti-non-eq tour because they're rarely very good –– often because of the quality of the actors involved.)"

Your reason for being anti-non-eq tour isn’t the reason you should be anti-non-eq tour. The issue at hand is that productions like Waitress rake in the same grosses and ticket prices for non-eq tours as they do union tours and the make inflated profits because they’re underpaying their actors and don’t have to provide good working conditions. “Quality of actors” is irrelevant when producers are exploiting their employees for the sake of greed."

THIS. I am not anti-non-eq because of the actors. In fact, I have seen many non-eq tours with remarkably talented performers. My main issue is that the production values are often so cheap with rickety sets that consist of threadbare and faded backdrops and costumes that look like they've been worn to death. The fact(s) that they are underpaying hardworking performers to be in shows that oftentimes physically look worse than some community theatre productions but are charging top dollar Broadway prices is what gets me. 

 

I didn't think the Prom was non-union, I thought it was just a low tier tour.

I will say that the past practice in Toronto has been that the non-equity shows don't come through as much as the equity ones, but when they do they are not a part of the subscriber season, the runs aren't as long, and tickets are usually $30-$40 cheaper than the regular shows. 

I will say the actress playing Mother Superior in 2019 on the tour of Sound of Music was incredible.