Why Should Stage Hands At Carnegie Hall Make $400,000?

[Recursion]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/10/04/why-should-stage-hands-at-carnegie-hall-make-400000/

Surprising to see something even halfway positive like this from Forbes.

Maybe the real question should be, why shouldn’t they? Carnegie Hall isn’t a branch of government. It’s a private non-profit largely supported by donor dollars from wealthy patrons. Sanford Weill, former CEO and chairman of Citigroup, is the organization’s chairman and donated a substantial sum to renovate its chamber music theater. The carpenters and electricians at Carnegie Hall do highly specialized work and log plenty of hours of overtime.

The stagehands’ big salaries made headlines this week after members of their union, Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) staged a strike, with a huge blow-up rubber rat in front of the hall and picketers who derailed the venue’s season-opening concert by The Philadelphia Orchestra with superstar violinist Joshua Bell and singer and bass player Esperanza Spalding. Today the union and management reached a deal that put an end to the three-day strike. But not before a lot of negative press for the union.

...

At Carnegie Hall, the dispute was over a 24-room educational wing set to open in 2014. Management had not wanted the stagehands to work there. In the deal reached today, students will be able to move their own music stands, chairs and instruments but when it comes to large instruments like drums or marimbas, the stagehands will get involved. According to a report by classical music station WQXR, management agreed to hire one additional full-time stagehand to work in the education wing.

Though the stagehands’ salaries seem high, it’s tough to argue that any business, including Carnegie Hall, is powerless when it comes to negotiating with unions these days. Besides, as Cornell professor Ileen DeVault points out, most of us don’t begrudge the huge salaries of unionized NFL and Major League Baseball players At the risk of inviting angry comments from Forbes readers, I’d say that Local One’s members have achieved the American dream, working their way through the echelons of the middle class to a level on par with Carnegie Hall’s wealthy donors. Is that such a terrible thing?

Side note: the carpenters used that inflatable rat a lot in DC when they were picketing AFL/CIO (long story). How many of those are there out there?

[Lasher]

1. CWA has used a rat like that one.

Maybe it's the very same one that's being shared.

[niyad]

2. if they really are makiing that much money, I say yayyy for them--at least they are doing something

useful, as opposed to the corporate whoremasters, the lobbyists, and the elected clowns destroying this country.

[Ikonoklast]

3. Why does no one complain of the performers playing their making MILLIONS?

Agenda is showing.

[Nye Bevan]

15. You need to read the post, not just the subject line (nt)

[leftyohiolib]

4. why is susan adams paid what she is paid?

[PoliticAverse]

5. A better question is why is Carnegie Hall tax exempt? n/t

[JaneyVee]

6. I have a lot of friends in that union who are happy to be back.

[Brickbat]

7. Any wage that a union member gets is negotiated. Management has agreed to it. If management doesn't

have a problem paying it, why should I?

(There are exceptions, such as arbitration, etc.)

[Gormy Cuss]

9. Right, because contrary to the standard union bashing, businesses and organizations won't pay

unless they have to do so.

[Octafish]

8. THAT's why every working person should be in a UNION.

Either that, or socialize the financial, energy and defense industries*. THEN things will be more just.

* Meaning cut a check from the profits for all.

[Chan790]

11. As I told the story before...

when I tried to unionize the bank I used to work for, I got as much resistance from the bank (expected) as I got lack-of-interest-or-support from any union. (Not expected at all.)

I contacted several that I thought might be able and willing to help...you'd think they'd want to organize and represent bank tellers and financial service reps. (If for no reason other than numbers and there being a vast pool of wealth there to gain for members in the form of better wages and benefits which would boost the union's power substantially.)

Apparently not, I got a lot of "that's not really our area." I've talked to other people who were in similar boats...pretty much nobody in organized labor leadership has any interest in organizing any service workers or white-collar workers, with the occasional exception of restaurant kitchen workers in large cities.

[Recursion]

16. Wasn't that the essence of the AFL-CIO / SEIU split?

SEIU wanted to organize new industries and AFL didn't?

[Chan790]

19. Even SEIU didn't call me back. n/t

[seveneyes]

10. The bigger question is

If there were no unions involved in this case and stage hands were making half a million bucks would their pay be questioned?

[BronxBoy]

13. And an even bigger question is......

If we aren't going to question and demean the salaries of CEOs, Bankers, Wall Street Execs and Emergency Managers, why shit on these guys who, you know, actually do some work?

[hughee99]

14. If there were no unions involved, then the stagehands making 400K would be "the rich",

instead of "the workers".

[Holly_Hobby]

12. I was a member of the local stagehand's union in the late '70s

At that time, I was making $28/hour working in the wardrobe area, ironing white shirts for the Spanish ballet company. My dad and brother were members also, my dad was the head carpenter, all of us making the same wage.

I always worked in wardrobe, being female, and made the same as the men. The only equal employment I've ever had. It was only part-time, when a show happened to be in town, which was about once a month. I usually worked one show M-F, 3 on Sat and 2 on Sun. I made a killing.

Those days are over here. They make about $10/hour now.

[DireStrike]

17. I wonder if the people that make those rats are unionized.

[Bluenorthwest]

22. That's Scabby the Rat, the answer is yes and here is his story...

http://www.vice.com/read/the-history-of-scabby-the-rat

[DireStrike]

23. Thanks for the article!

I checked a few google hits but didn't see that one.

[elehhhhna]

18. iatse MEMBERS ONLY GET PAID WHEN THEY WORK

AND THEY often WORK 24/7 when THEY WORK - THEY should make SERIOUS MONEY when THEY WORK.

[Agony]

20. Why should the top ten employees at a food bank make over $200,000 each?

...as much as $430,000 actually. Lots of these kind of questions as economic inequality/injustice accelerates.

huge pdf page 135 --->http://990s.foundationcenter.org/990_pdf_archive/363/363673599/363673599_201206_990.pdf

from the FeedingAmerica IRS i990 for 2012. Each of these employees got in one year as much as FeedingAmerica sent to some state food banks.

am I the only one bothered by this level of inequality?

Cheers,
Agony

[Bluenorthwest]

21. They weren't striking for higher wages but for more positions in an expansion of Carnigie

Hall, an expansion costing one quarter of a billion dollars. The Union had been in stalled talks with the Hall for 13 months. None of the people striking would get more pay, they'd just get more coworkers under that hard earned and highly funded Umbrella.