About
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, or IATSE, represents more than 168,000 workers in the US and Canada who work across the entertainment industry in all forms of live theater, motion picture and television production, trade shows and exhibitions, television broadcasting, and concerts.
IATSE has local unions in all fifty states and US territories so there is a high chance their members work in or around the cities you represent! If your city host events that require professional staging, lighting, and sound, we at DMO ask that you think about the workers who facilitate these events and make sure their voices are heard and included along the way. IATSE stands ready to connect you with their locals and members in your area. Ensuring this work is done by trained union professionals not only creates a workforce whose wages, healthcare, and retirement are adequately provided for, but it also helps guarantee crew members have the expertise, safety training, and certifications necessary to keep productions safe for everyone involved.
IATSE members also do work on political campaigns in the form of campaign commercials and large staged rallies. If you are running a campaign that necessitates filming commercials or staging a live event, please ensure your film or stage crews are working under a union contract. Most pro-worker candidates are well intentioned, but often don’t know this work is traditionally covered by a union contract.
To learn more about how to address and avoid this issue on your own campaigns, please review the informational piece created by IATSE on the subject below, or reach out by emailing polleg@iatse.net.