The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees is the acronym for the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. It has a long history as a labor union for non-actors in the entertainment industry. It was founded in 1893 and now represents over 400 local and regional labor unions. The IATSE is only international in that some of the smaller unions are based in Canada. The majority of IATSE’s regional unions are based in the United States.
The IATSE began providing union benefits to those who worked on live stage productions. There are now a number of IATSE-affiliated unions working in the motion picture and television industries. There are unions for those who design wardrobes, backstage workers, set designers, and those who provide hair and make-up services, to name a few.
IATSE members must pay yearly dues in order to be eligible for health benefits, investment plans, and retirement benefits. Many productions only hire union workers, and every group of workers must be a member of a union in order for the other groups to work.
Union wages are typically higher than non-union wages, but paying dues may indicate that the wages aren’t quite as high as they appear. Different groups operate in a variety of ways. Working in a union job is generally required to qualify for union membership. If one works only on a temporary basis, he or she must accumulate a certain number of union job hours before applying to join the union.
For supporters of labor unions, the IATSE website has a list of theaters that only hire union employees. This list can be useful because members of all types of unions tend to honor other unions. The website also includes a timeline of the organization’s history, which includes some low points. In the 1940s, the IATSE, like many other unions, had ties to organized crime. George Browne, the president of the IATSE at the time, was convicted of extortion in 1941.
IATSE is now led Thomas C. Short and is headquartered in New York City. There are 14 vice presidents as well. Each member union, on the other hand, has a great deal of autonomy in terms of setting things like daily work hours, compensation rates, and membership rules. With the advancement of film technology, new IATSE-affiliated unions are becoming more common. Since the founding of the IATSE union, many areas, particularly those dealing with computer graphics and art direction, as well as film processing, have undergone significant changes.
When it first started, the organization was known as the National Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. In 1995, the IATSE’s new full name became official. Many people believe the current name accurately describes the diverse unions’ many activities.