Ever wonder what it really means to be a union stagehand?
beingzoe 8 months ago // Stagehands Tips, tricks, and advice

As an extra with local 122 my personal experiences with the deeper side of unions, in this case IATSE, are somewhat limited. I was invited to join as an apprentice member over a year ago (other business commitments have delayed my acceptance of that invitation). I taught a basic computer concepts class for my local. I helped set up for our Christmas party one year (which I thought was voluntary, but we got paid). Otherwise when I’m working I do my best to represent the union as a reliable and superior work force. But I have never been asked to sacrifice anything for the cause, maybe ever…not really.

I have romantic notions of union labor going back to the stories of the various efforts and battles fought early in the 20th century for the rights of exploited and abused workers in all industries and professions. Unfortunately unions have taken a beating and generated their own bad press through the years. But due to my concerns over the ever increasing power and influence of corporate business, it seems possible that someday the real heart of the union struggle could have to start all over.

But this post is not about that. This post is about what it means to be a union stagehand. It is about what you gain and a reminder that sacrifice is required, even if some of us have learned the reality of that yet.

In the 21st century, unions almost seem antiquated. We live in a world where most people seem to be jumping into the turbulent and disloyal world of corporate ladder climbing. A world where you follow the money without concern for where you’ve been beyond not burning any bridges (that would be bad networking). Labor unions fly in the face of that world-view. Unions are a coming together of people for a common goal, the safety and rights of the worker, not the interests of a well branded committee.

Sadly the mindset of the modern corporate worker living behind their gated home owners association doesn’t recognize that maybe the system is exploiting them. They don’t necessarily recognize that individuals cannot individually protect themselves against the corporate machine if it were to decide to work against you.

The grocery workers strike in Southern California not so many years ago demonstrated this point. I heard on talk radio countless people calling in and complaining about the strike, many repeating similar rhetoric, “I don’t get health insurance, so why should unskilled grocery clerks get it?”

And that is why unions, or some 21st century equivalent are so important. That anger towards the grocery strikers for that point alone demonstrates a disconnect. Instead of supporting the grocery workers and saying, “Hell yes they deserve health insurance, and so do I! Where is my health insurance?” they were simply embittered and condescending over the fact someone doing lowly unskilled labor might get privileges they themselves were not.

A friend of mine participated in that strike. It was not an easy effort either. Many of the grocery workers were hit hard after months of striking, but they persevered. They did not win, but they did not lose. They stood their ground against the corporate interests that to my mind are far worse than the early barons of industry. The corporate entity is a relatively faceless monolith that is tantamount to it’s own autonomous government. How do you demand individual rights against anything that large, powerful, and amorphous?

The issues that led to the organization of workers in the United States have not gone away, I’m not sure they have even changed.

However, I’m not always sure I am up to fighting that good fight.

I stumbled on a blog post today by a Local 1 IATSE stagehand today. It was not a recent post. It was a post towards the beginning of the recent Broadway strike.

He has to had to sacrifice to maintain a good living in a tough industry. He has been part of a group larger than himself. And he is clearly prepared to do what it takes to protect the interests of his union brothers and sisters.

He invoked the word ‘solidarity’, and he conveyed a glimpse of what that might mean if I ever have to fight the good fight.

So, if like me, you have wondered what it means to be a union stagehand, or a worker in any industry, or anyone fighting for what you believe is right, I encourage you to read…

We will do whatever it takes for as long as it takes.
posted by One NYC Stagehand

It is not the most astounding piece of writing ever. It will not win awards. However, it speaks simple truths from an honest place that I think everyone could benefit from reading.

While I have not lived a life of privilege, far from it, I have not had to live a life of sacrifice. I hope (wish) that none of us have to discover the real meaning of sacrifice. But the world is a crazy place, and it is nice to know that there are people out there who will stand up and against what they believe to be injustice. It gives me hope for the future.