Equity News Winter 2018
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SUMMER 2018 | VOLUME 103 | ISSUE 3 ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION Equity NEWS SUPREME ATTACKS! WORKERS FACE NEW THREATS: HERE'S HOW WE CAN FIGHT BACK The play is done; the curtain drops IN MEMORIAM Slow falling to the prompter’s bell A moment yet the actor stops Reported between May 1, 2018 and July 31, 2018 And looks around, to say farewell. *Equity Councillor — William Makepeace Thackeray's Miscellanies, vol. ii BETTY LINTON AIDMAN TERRY HECK JACK NAUGHTON SUSAN ANSPACH BETTE HENRITZE RITA O’CONNOR RUTH BAKER CARL HUNT TIM O’CONNOR BERNIE BARR TAB HUNTER BOB O’DONNELL GARY BEACH WYNN IRWIN SOON-TECK OH JOHN BENNES MILTON JAMES VALERIE D. PAYTON KATE BRITTON NORMA JUSTIN BARRY PHILIPS KENDALL CARLY BROWNE SANDY KANAN V PHIPPS-WILSON BETTY BUNCH ART KASSUL CRAIG T. RAISNER FRED BURRELL KATHERINE KELLGREN LOUISE REYNOLDS ANTHONY CALDER MARGOT R. KIDDER RACHEL ROCKWELL DIANE L CALDWELL JAY KIRK VON SCHAUER MARION CANTONE DEEN KOGAN ROBERT SCHLEE BETTE CLOUD LOUISE LATHAM ERNIE SCOTT LARRY COEN GREGG LAUTERBACH SYLVIA SHORT STANTON COFFIN PAT LI WILLIAM SISSON CHARLES (CHALIE) CORRADO LINDA LIPSON DENNY SPENCE LORRAINE DALE PHILLIP B. LOCKER MIMI STEVENS JOHN DE SANTIS JEFF LOEFFELHOLZ MICKI VARRO JAMES MICHAEL DRUMM DELIGHT LORENZ RUTH VOOL MICHAEL EILER ROBERT F. MANDAN RHONDA WALLACE JOE ENDES NANCY MARLOW JOMARIE WARD EUGENE FRANCIS * HAROLD E. MASON DARRYL WARREN FLORENCE GALPERIN RICHARD MERRIFIELD PAUL WILDMAN TOM GRIFFIN DOUGFRED MILLER DOROTHY WILLIS FRED HARTMAN R. W. MILLER RONALD THOMAS WILSON JOHN HARVEY LILIANE MONTEVECCHI TROND WOXEN RANDELL HAYNES PATRICIA MORISON BEN ZELLER EquityNEWS Actors' Equity Advisory Committee Director of Communications Christine Toy Johnson (Chair) Brandon Lorenz Al Bundonis Diane Dorsey Editor Nicole Flender Doug Strassler Bruce Alan Johnson Ruth E. Kramer Contributor Heather Lee Joyce Vinzani Kevin McMahon Liz Pazik Got a question or Barbara N. Roberts comment? Email us at Melissa Robinette [email protected] Buzz Roddy Kate Shindle Joann Yeoman EQUITY NEWS (ISSN: 00924520) is published quarterly by Actors’ Equity Association, 165 West 46th St., New York, NY 10036. Telephone: (212) 869-8530. Periodicals postage paid at New York, N.Y. and additional mailing offices. Copyright 2018, Actors’ Equity Association. Postmaster: Send address changes to Equity News, 165 West 46th St., New York, NY 10036. EquityNEWS CONTENTS SUMMER 2018 | VOLUME 103 | ISSUE 3 8 13 SOLIDARITY D.C. ARTS GAINS Workers are facing new attacks. The District of Columbia has Here's how solidarity can help us approved a sales tax that will fight back. fund the local arts community. 16 17 THEATRE SPOTLIGHT ACROSS THE NATION Learn what makes Ithaca's Check out the many theatre Hangar Theatre such a options in the Buffalo/ valuable theatrical hub. Rochester area. 18 21 PRIDE HIGMEC Equity members marched to Two members share stories celebrate pride in a series of about how they got their parades this summer. Equity cards. 23 26 NEAT AGREEMENT CRUISE NEWS Boston area members played a Equity scored a major win in pivotal role in the recent NEAT creating work for performers on negotiations the Norwegian Bliss. FRONT of HOUSE FROM THE PRESIDENT THE FIGHT AHEAD The past several weeks this movement. When we support other unions in their actions, have presented some major they will in turn support ours. We are a broad coalition of challenges for those of us many different varieties of workers, whether they be artists, in the labor movement, and tradespeople, administrative staff, teachers, law enforcement accordingly, Equity has been busy and firefighters, or many others. What affects one of us affects participating in the new concentrated push toward preserving all of us. Pay attention to what’s happening when you see the workers’ rights to organize and bargain for fair contracts. inflatable rat or workers flyering outside a building; today it’s On June 27, the Supreme Court finally issued its ruling them, but tomorrow it may be us. on Janus v. AFSCME, a case that had been closely watched In early July, I was invited to speak at the convention of by unions across the country. In short: it didn’t go our way. the International Association of Masters, Mates and Pilots; they Overturning a 40-year precedent, the court ruled that non- represent many different types of workers on everything from members working under union contracts cannot be compelled tankers to passenger ferries. In researching the work they do, I to pay fees to those unions. was reminded of how much we have in common. Even though As you may know, workers cannot be forced to join a union we operate in completely different industries, we share things when they are hired on union contracts. But for many years, the like continuous and often unpredictable travel (sometimes far unions who bargained those contracts were able to collect fair from home), and a perception that our work and careers are a share fees (sometimes also referred to as “agency fees”). These lot more romantic than the reality may be. It’s this kind of union- fees represented only the cost of negotiating and administering to-union relationship that we are working very hard to build. the contracts, while exempting the cost of the union’s other Ten days later, I was invited by The Chicago Tribune’s Chris activities, like political advocacy. The argument has been that Jones to be a guest speaker at the National Critics’ Institute non-union workers shouldn’t be forced to pay working dues at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, an intensive retreat for for activism and other activities that they either feel they don’t professional theatre writers from all across the country. We had need, or outright object to. a wide-ranging discussion, a focus of which was driving home What the Janus ruling has now established is that although the “Ask If It’s Equity” message – especially to audiences who the affected unions have a legal obligation to allow anyone to attend touring shows. (Here I should also note that Jones himself work under their contracts, and to administer and advocate in has been exemplary in regularly pointing out the differences to the same way for those individuals, those workers no longer his readers.) have to contribute a percentage of working dues in return. To me, these three fronts – activism, building union This has several outcomes for labor. First, unions that are solidarity and underscoring the importance of unions to the obligated to perform services under federal law will be starved casual theatregoer – are tremendously valuable in ensuring that of revenue. Second, the actual members of those unions are our members continue to succeed. A union is only as strong essentially now going to have to underwrite the costs for those as the collective force of its members. I hope you will join us in non-members working under contract. This is why right-to-work raising our voices. legislation is so dangerous: it’s about making this the law of the land for all unions. And rest assured that although this ruling specifically affects public-sector unions, there is no doubt that these activists are teeing up to gut private-sector unions – like Actors’ Equity – as well. If we want to have a union 10 or 20 years from now, we have to raise our voices now. Do you want to know what you can do? Great. First: take to the streets. On the day after the ruling, Kate Shindle Equity joined with other union members in rallies across the country. I was downtown in the financial district with a terrific turnout of Equity members. We have to be visible as part of 4 | Equity News @actorsequity FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR STRONGER TOGETHER A week doesn’t go by as your executive director when I they met our demands and we am not reminded just how important unions are in our current achieved a breakthrough. That is moment in history. the power of solidarity. One recent Tuesday served as an especially vivid I will close by returning to reminder. My afternoon started with the memorial service Jeff, a member I have spent for Jeff Loeffelholz, a member of the cast of Chicago who a lot of time thinking about. My goal is to work toward a tragically committed suicide. time when Jeff’s legacy can lead to a future where employers You may have read media reports about the situation. get the training they need to ensure a workplace free from Equity has hired outside counsel to investigate. Every bullying and harassment. Our ability to achieve that depends morning I think of Jeff. I say his name and spend a few not just on our staff, but on solidarity. And on you. minutes thinking about him before I start my day. In the year since #MeToo began, I have heard from our During the service, members of the Broadway community business representatives and from our members that they sang “You Will Be Found” from Dear Evan Hansen. It was a are afraid to speak out and say something if they are the touching show of community support. victim of harassment or bullying. Sometimes we hear from I ended my day that Tuesday evening watching the members who want to report an incident, but then ask us not results from Missouri, where our brothers and sisters in the take action because they are afraid of retaliation or that they labor movement had forced a vote to repeal Missouri’s will not be able to find another job in the industry. Right-to-Work for Less law. Union members had worked for I understand that impulse.