New York -- Actors’ Equity Association, the national labor union representing more than 51,000 professional actors, stage managers and other workers in live entertainment, joins the rising chorus of unions in endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States and Governor Tim Walz as her vice president.
“Vice President Harris has prioritized the needs of workers her entire career,” said Al Vincent, Jr., executive director of Actors’ Equity Association. “Over these last few years she has played a vital role in President Biden’s staunchly pro-labor administration. We are excited for her, along with Governor Walz, to accelerate that momentum to enact policies that honor and protect all Americans. We need everyone to ride this momentum, too, and raise Vice President Harris into the presidency this November.
“Actors’ Equity Association endorsed Kamala Harris for Vice President in 2020 and in 2024 because we know she has the best interest of working people at the heart of her political philosophy. Now, by picking Tim Walz as her running mate, a man who in Congress and as governor of Minnesota has championed union causes, she has already demonstrated that she will continue to be a champion of labor. She has proven time and again that she fights for the issues that matter most to Equity members, including preserving our democracy, protecting abortion access, stopping climate change and enacting common-sense gun control. I am excited for a Harris presidency, which I know will build on the pro-labor legacy of the Biden administration.
“Governor Walz is the best vice presidential pick we could have hoped for. After twenty years as a public school teacher and union member, he truly internalized the importance of centering the needs of working families and using his influence to benefit his community. As a lawmaker, he has excellent records on LGBTQ rights, reproductive freedom and the right to organize -– all issues that are core to this union.”
In both of the last two elections, Equity endorsed the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris ticket. During the current administration, funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has increased by $52 million along with $135 million in supplemental funding for the NEA/NEH. The administration’s COVID relief was also critical for countless arts workers, including temporary COBRA health insurance subsidy, supporting pandemic unemployment insurance that was vital for the unique employment structure of arts workers and allowing labor unions access to PPP funds like most other businesses. The American Rescue Plan expanded financial assistance to Americans enrolling in health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, a critical need for many Equity members during the shutdown of the industry during COVID.
Since the 2020 election, Actors’ Equity Association has worked to build more political power for union members by forming a political action committee, expanding the union’s use of political endorsements and sending union members to turn out union voters in battleground states. The union’s current legislative priorities include the PRO Act and the Performing Artist Tax Parity Act.
ACTORS' EQUITY ASSOCIATION, founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers. Equity endeavors to advance the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits (health and pension included). Member: AFL-CIO, FIA. www.actorsequity.org #EquityWorks
August 9, 2024
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