Equity President Kate Shindle: The Next Steps Towards #EquityStrong
It's been two years since we first introduced you to Equity 2020, our campaign to be more
aggressive, inclusive and responsive.
In this video, I want to take a couple minutes to introduce you to the next step in our campaign to build a stronger union
geared toward creating more paid work opportunities for all of our members.
But before we look forward, I'd like to highlight some of what we've already accomplished.
Since we began Equity 2020, we've made important progress.
We promised to build a more modern and strategic organizing program, and we're starting to see results.
Together, we fought for and won millions of dollars in additional local public arts funding in Washington, DC, San Francisco and other cities.
We defended the National Endowment for the Arts, and we joined our sister unions in Missouri and defeated a right-to-work law that would have been
devastating for our members, and in fact, for all workers.
We also promised to be more responsive to members living in our liaison areas.
That's why the very first organizer we hired was specifically dedicated to those communities, and we've used our new organizing program to help achieve
stronger regional contracts in places from the Bay Area to Boston with higher minimum salaries and more contracts for stage managers.
Work weeks and wages are up in our liaison areas.
We've also delivered for members in our office cities,
including a new CAT contract in Chicago with raises ranging from 10 to 43 percent.
And we've ratified a national LORT agreement with wage increases ranging from 16 to more than 80 percent
as well as more contracts in every category.
We continue to improve our communications using videos like this, a revamped website and increased use of our social media platforms.
Most recently we've spent some time examining our organizational structure, including our constitution.
Equity has been around for more than a century, and so has some of our constitutional language.
Our preamble, for example, was written before the Wagner Act of 1930 legally protected the rights of unions to organize,
which is a big part of the it's so much more broad than the work Actors' Equity does today.
In January, following two years of work by our constitutional review committee,
Equity's National Council recommended some changes to our constitution to help us deliver on the Equity 2020 promise to build a stronger union.
One of the most significant changes, and one that I'm personally most excited about, is the creation of a national convention.
As your president, I've spoken at a number of other unions' national and international conventions,
from entertainment unions to the International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots.
I've seen firsthand how organizations similar to ours use their conventions as forums for ideas.
I've seen them use their conventions to build partnerships with allies from sister unions to policy makers.
And these national meetings are opportunities for members to come together,
learn from each other, talk about shared challenges and then agree on a common vision to move forward.
The bottom line: I believe a national convention will provide a stage for Equity to tell our story,
a chance for us to come together as actors and stage managers
and a Democratic structure that will flatten out our leadership
by incorporating voting delegates from office cities and non-office cities alike.
We've heard from members in liaison areas that they often feel disconnected from our governance process.
A national convention will provide all Equity members with a
significant increase in access and allow you to have more of a voice no matter where you live.
For example instead of only allowing motions to come from membership meetings in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles,
we'll relocate them to the convention where actors and stage managers from all across the country
will have an equal ability not only to put them forward but also to vote on whether they'll become policy.
Because as we've seen over and over again, most recently during our development strike on Broadway, when Equity members stand together
there is no goal we can't achieve.
Here's another major change:
In 2016 and 2017, I used my travel for the national tour of Fun Home
to meet with members in the majority of our liaison areas,
and to attend our liaison conference in Atlanta.
Actors and stage managers across the country reminded me that while nearly 40 percent
of our members live outside of our office cities,
the overwhelming majority of our councillors don't.
That's why I'm thrilled that for the first time ever Council has also proposed designating nine Council seats
specifically for members who do not live in New York, Chicago or Los Angeles.
And we've recommended changes to the eligibility requirements for all Council seats,
establishing parity across categories and the ability to run for Council later in your chorus or stage management career.
Council has recommended other changes too. You'll be hearing more about the full proposal in the coming days.
If you want to learn more or have questions,
go to actorsequity.org/2020
We are building a better union together.
I hope you agree that these proposals represent major progress for Equity,
and I hope you'll join me as we take the next step.
Legacy Robe: AIn't Too Proud Legacy Robe: Kiss Me, Kate Robe Ceremony: Miss Saigon The Robe Ceremony: Anastasia Live with Henry and Olivia, Swings of Waitress Legacy Robe: King Kong Equity/ Pro-Theatre | Professionalism Reading and Understanding Equity Agreements - Stage Manager Panel The Robe: Carousel Kate Shindle
