In order to collectively address issues of common interest to all of their members who work on Broadway, thirteen unions and guilds, representing over 75,000 employees in the live entertainment industry, have formed the Coalition of Broadway Unions and Guilds (COBUG).
According to COBUG’s co-chairs Anthony DePaulo (Business Manager for IATSE Local 1, Stagehands) and Alan Eisenberg (Executive Director, Actors’ Equity Association), the goal of the coalition is “to make our collective voice and concerns heard by employers, public officials and the theatre-going public.” A direct result of the events of September 11, 2001, which found all of the unions and guilds taking across-the-board pay cuts to keep long-running Broadway shows open, the formation of the coalition will allow member organizations to join together in addressing such issues as collective bargaining, health care, workplace safety, and the impact of computerized technology on live theater. COBUG also hopes to better educate the public about issues faced at the bargaining table, according to DePaulo and Eisenberg, who plan to set up an initial meeting with representatives from the League of American Theatres and Producers in the near future.
The members of COBUG are: Actors’ Equity Association; American Federation of Musicians, Local 802; Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers, Local 18032; Dramatists Guild; International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees; International Makeup Artists-Hair Stylists Union Local 798; Motion Picture Projectionists, Operators, Video Technicians, Theatrical Employees & Allied Crafts, Local 306; Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers; Service Employees International Union, Local 32BJ Theatre Division; Theatrical Protective Union Stage Hands, Local 1; Theatrical Wardrobe Union, Local 764; Treasurers & Ticket Sellers Union, Local 751; and Local United Scenic Artists (USA) 829.
