Union Dues
Disclaimer! This section might make you angry if you have a particular stance on theatrical unions. Below are my opinions only through my experiences with specific unions.
They Needed Protection.
Unions needed to beef up protection for their employees as theater moved through the 20th century. Actors’ Equity Association states “by the beginning of the 20th century, exploitation had become a permanent condition of an actor's employment. Producers set their own working conditions and pay scale.” (https://www.actorsequity.org/aboutequity/history)
In the early 1900s, there was no compensation for holidays or rehearsals and many times producers ruled that rehearsal time was unlimited. The forming of these theatrical unions made producers accountable by paying actors and others for rehearsal and tech time, guaranteeing two weeks’ notice, support for employee pension, and welfare benefits. The emergence of labor unions transformed Broadway forever.
Want to learn more about the various unions on Broadway? Visit the following sites:
https://iatselocalone.org/public/Home
https://www.dramatistsguild.com
The Equity Issue.
Most of my friends, and myself included, are thankful to unions that have helped us work in proper and safe environments while allowing us to be paid a fair wage. However, it would be naïve to mention that powerful unions haven’t affected the dramatic increase in ticket prices for Broadway. They are not the sole culprit, but they are not to go unblamed.
As a young, aspiring Broadway performer, one of your main goals is to become a member of Actors’ Equity. The Actors’ Equity Association card was your ticket into all the Broadway auditions and guaranteed you a possible chance to be seen for Broadway show. If you’re a member, you get access to top quality health insurance, livable wages, and the chance to perform in shows that could enhance your career.
To become a member, there are a few ways. But the most common is the following- an actor needs to acquire a specific number of points/weeks (It’s 25 currently but used to be 50). How do you get these points/weeks? You need to be cast in a show that is performing at an Equity house. But wait. You need to be seen at an Equity audition to be cast in a show that plays in an Equity house but aren’t Equity auditions only for Equity members?
Let’s dive deeper…
An Early Morning Wake Up Call
I got up at 5am the morning of the Miss Saigon National Tour open call. I checked Audition Updated (go have a laugh - https://www.backstage.com/forums/audition-update/) to see if anyone posted the “Unofficial List” yet. What is the “Unofficial List” you ask? It’s the unofficial non-Equity List (non-Equity means an actor that isn’t a part of the theatrical union). It is then transferred over to the “Official List” once the building, where the auditions are held, is open. Many times the “Unofficial List” is posted outside on notebook paper, taped to the side of Pearl Studios at 4:30 am.
I’m happy: no EMCs signed up yet. EMC means Equity Membership Candidate (an actor who as acquired 1-24 points/weeks) and we have a leg up on the non-Equity actors: we get seen before them. Let me elaborate. It’s 10 AM, and auditions start. I’m sitting in a room with other men who are EMC, Non-Equity, and Equity Members. The monitor calls the names of the Equity members who have appointments from 10-10:30am who have checked in, and lines them up at the front of the room. Then, if there are any open spaces, the monitor allows any Equity member that wants to be seen early to have that spot. After, if there are any free spaces, the monitor call the names off the EMC list.
Then, if there are still spaces, the monitor call off the non-Equity Official list. At any point, if an Equity member saunters into the audition room and wants to be seen, they are given a spot before the EMC and non-Equity members even if those actors were there five hours before. Multiple lists, total inequality.
Equity has been in trouble for a long time, and it all involves money.
Broadway shows and tours have been exponentially becoming more expensive over time, forcing producers to cut down cast sizes to accommodate for larger than life scenery, big named stars, elaborate costumes, and the like. Of course, this directly affects the number of actors that are employed. Alongside that, many Equity theaters on the road (outside of NYC) have closed the past few decades due to the rise and accessibility of tech (TV in homes, movie theaters, smartphones). Also, this directly affecting the number of actors to be employed in smaller markets.
The Rise of the Non-Union Tour
Let Me Break It Down a Bit
A goal of an actor is to continuously work. The rise of non-Union tours allowed for more work to be available for actors, specifically non-union. And, why would a non-Union actor want to waste their time at an Equity call to not get seen? More producers are going the non-Union tour route because these tours are cheaper! Non-Union actors love these tours because it creates more opportunity to work. And, because so many tours have gone non-Union, the tour quality has risen to attract better non-Union talent.
All of these outside issues have resulted in 86% of Equity actors unemployed* (not employed in a production).
Let the 86% sit with you. That means that if you become an Equity actor, you have a 86% chance of being being in a show.
*https://work.chron.com/statistics-people-getting-famous-acting-23946.html. Data from 2016
Equity’s Response?
Equity sees all these non-Equity actors working, while witnessing a larger portion of theirs not. To mitigate this, Equity did something very brilliant. Remember the amount of Equity points/weeks one had to have to join Equity? They lowered the requirement. Not by 5 or 10, but by 25. The requirement now is 25 points/weeks to join Equity.
The requirement is half of what it was before. Equity realized that they could get young, desperate actors in need of big time auditions to pay dues quickly, forking over hundreds of dollars up front for their Equity Cards. Overnight, their membership grew making a huge swipe at the non-Equity tour competition. But was this move fair?
This move was just a band-aid on a bigger issue. The foundation that Equity was built on needs to be replaced because modern actors have different needs than their 20th century counterparts. What can Equity do to fix itself and truly help its members?
“I mean, it’s ridiculous”
— Shubert Organization House Manager
“They literally have mansions on the Long Island Sound”
— Shubert Organization Employee
“Expensive”
— Tony and Olivier Award winning producer
IATSE Local One, commonly known as Local One, is a hot button issue for many theater owners and producers. On one end, they provide critical services to keep shows running. Stagehands are the backbone of every Broadway show. They handle heavy equipment, put themselves in life risking situations, and stay late to get the production up in a short amount of time.
However, when I asked a producer’s opinion on the matter, the reputable Tony and Oliver Award winning producer blurted out “expensive.”
How Expensive? Let’s Dive In More
I received the following points from my identical twin brother Brian Hajjar, who did his graduate thesis on unions. If you want a full copy of his thesis, please email him at this address:
hajjab106@gmail.com
I will just be highlighting the expenses.
To start, Local One contracts call for a yearly raise of 5% or more. Does this seem high to you? It is high. Especially with 5% being the baseline. Normal yearly salary raises hover around 3%. Second, is the fact of employing people to do manual labor, and not investing in machines to do the heavy lighting tasks. With this aspect, I fear how AI and tech will interfere with the human experience of theater, so I understand the union’s concern.
There is a specific example that one of the house managers at the Shubert Organization gave me. Every night, the stage needs to be mopped for the next day. A Local One member mops the stage after the actors go home. Do you know how much that member is paid? $500. Now, if you don’t already have a mop in your hand, get in line because I have student debt.