Service & Solidarity Spotlight: San Diego Musical Theatre Crew Join IATSE

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Production workers at the San Diego Musical Theatre (SDMT) voted overwhelmingly to organize with the Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 122.

The unit includes wardrobe department staff, stitchers, dressers, audio technicians, spotlight operators, deck crew, stage managers and assistant stage managers.

“Building the theatre community has always been a priority for our Local,” said Robert Morales, business representative for IATSE Local 122. “By organizing SDMT, we continue to build union density which in return helps us negotiate better contracts for everyone and uplift the industry.”

The newly organized crew will now negotiate their first collective bargaining agreement with San Diego Musical Theatre. The company conducted an anti-union campaign, including unsuccessful attempts to hold a captive audience meeting and personal appeals from management to reject the union.