Equity in the News February 2021

A hearing is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. ET today, February 26.

The bill would provide immediate relief to so many Equity members and others in the arts industry by expanding coverage,” said AEA's Brandon Lorenz

The arts, entertainment, and media unions—including IATSE and Actors’ Equity Association—affiliated with the Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) announced their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policy agenda during a digital press conference with union leaders, staff, and members. The DEI policy agenda details the legislative action the unions will urge members of Congress to support to help make their industries more representative.

Hollywood’s major unions have signed on with the AFL-CIO-affiliated push to advance public policy initiatives involving diversity, equity and inclusion issues.

Leaders of the Hollywood’s unions today outlined their legislative agenda to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the arts, entertainment and media industries, including a call on Congress to pass a flurry of legislation to increase federal arts funding; establish diversity objectives for grant recipients; to leverage federal tax incentives to encourage diverse hiring, and to protect the rights of unions to organize nonunion workers.

Theatrical union leaders put forward a legislative agenda Thursday aimed at increasing diversity, equity and inclusion within the arts industry.

Last June, Equity’s council adopted a Black Lives Matter resolution, committing to re-examining  Actors’ Equity Association from the ground up.

Prior to the pandemic, Broadway was booming. But curtains haven’t risen since March, with deep personal and financial impacts. By one count, Broadway is directly responsible for nearly 100,000 jobs in New York City alone and, as a leading attraction for people who travel to the city, it has an economic impact of nearly $15 billion. Jeffrey Brown reports for our arts and culture series, "CANVAS."

The PRO Act includes several measures that fight back against union-busting tactics by employers and strengthens the National Labor Relations Act.