Stagehands Urge Partial Boycott of Atlas Theatre

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)The local stagehands union is asking the metro-area labor movement not to present shows or have labor events at the Atlas Theatre. Workers there voted in IATSE 22 and won a 1-year contract with the community theater. “After that year was up,” reports Local 22 President Chuck Clay, Atlas “management refused to bargain to renew the CBA. Even worse, the Atlas systematically got rid of all of the employees who were union members or union friendly working at the Atlas.” While the local is not currently calling for a complete boycott – it’s okay to attend shows there – “We ask that area unions not present shows or have labor events at the Atlas at this time,” says Clay. “The Lincoln and Howard Theatre, while not unionized by Local 22, are at least union neutral and are also community-based theatres.” - photo courtesy National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers