Fosse76 said: "Islander_fan said: "I honestly don't know why preventing people from using phones/stopping people who are using them isn't an official part of our job. To me, it makes sense. Whenever there's any sort of issue including people using their phones and bothering others around them with that, who do the audience members go to first? The ushers. The fact that it's not an official part of our job is beyond me."
I keep telling the ushers I know that if the contract doesn't specifically define the job function, then it is NOT your job. If there is no language that states ushers are to stop people from taking pictures, then it is NOT your job. That's how union contracts work. There is no language in the Local 306 Agreement that requires the ushers to stop photography or cell phone use; and if in fact you call your business rep, she will tell you not to do it. If in doubt, the business rep will either tell you to do it or not to do it (and best advice: do it until she advises you one way or the other).
As to why it's not an usher's official responsibility, that is because it can create a conflict that might be even more disruptive, and it is better to let theater security (not the private security at the doors) handle it. Many ushers don't mind doing it, but more and more shows are requesting that the ushers do not confront anyone taking pictures.
As to the pre-show picture taking, I'm not sure what drugs HogansHero is on, but the design for a show, which includes the pre-show set-up, is absolutely protected by copyright (whether the designer him/herself retains the rights or they are held by someone else such as the producer of the show). However, the no pictures rule doesn't really have a basis in copyright law. Fair use only applies to publishing photos of copyrighted material, not taking pictures for personal use. However, when you purchase a ticket to a show, you are contractually obligated to follow the rules established by the landlord and producer. If they say "No pictures or video recording" then you absolutely have no right to take photos or record video, and can be legally removed. With that said, they cannot force you to delete the pictures or show them the camera/phone .
Fosse,
I do get what you're saying about how if stopping photos isn't in the contract/job description then the ushers shouldn't do it. One hand I understand that, on the other I am not sure. Understand that I grew up around teachers. They learned early on that in order to do the job well, it involves going the extra mile, really getting to know the students to help them succeed etc. Sure, it wasn't written anywhere in their contract or job description. But, the point is that to do a good job or to do a job well, it sometimes means going above what is said in your contract. I have encountered ushers who are passive about phones being used, someone complains to the house manager at the door on their way out, then the usher gets yelled at and is pissed about being yelled at about stopping cell phones. If that happens to you and you don't like it? Well, then stop the damn cell phone from being out regardless of it being part of your job or not. Going the extra mile won't kill you.
