Equity in the News Deadline

Leaders of SAG-AFTRA, Actors’ Equity Association and American Federation of Musicians Local 802 are condemning harassment, bullying and toxic environments and pledging “to hold accountable those who violate human and legal norms of fair, respectful and dignified conduct in the workplace.”

Actors’ Equity Association will hold a town hall event to address issues about safety protocols and get-back-to-work efforts raised in a petition from more than 2,000 union members last week.

President Joe Biden’s massive $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief plan is about to become law, after the House gave final passage to the legislation, which will provide an unprecedented lifeline to American households in the form of direct payments, child tax credits, unemployment insurance and small-business relief.

Actors’ Equity is warning members that New York City’s just-launched “Open Culture” program of outdoor performances on city streets does not meet the union’s minimum standards for wages or its Covid-19 safety protocols.

A select number of now-dark Broadway venues will begin opening in April for a series of live- performance pop-up events that could establish the safety protocols needed for the theater industry’s eventual return.

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.

In this exclusive column for Deadline, Kate Shindle, president of Actors’ Equity Association, pledges support from another theater sector: The actors and stage managers in her union, she writes, could put their highly specialized skills and talents to effective use in the drive to provide Covid-19 vaccines to as many Americans as possible, as quickly as possible.

Actors’ Equity has condemned President Donald Trump’s “outrageous” proposal to freeze $110 million in the 2021 budget for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Actors’ Equity has temporarily paused its consideration of safety plans for live theater productions in California as the state battles unprecedented infection rates of Covid-19.

A growing chorus of entertainment industry union leaders is condemning Wednesday’s attack on the Capitol building by supporters of President Donald Trump – and the politicians who incited the violence.