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    "THE GROUND WE STAND ON" MESSAGE FROM THE IATSE GENERAL EXECUTIVE BOARD

    IATSE - Monday, June 29th



     

    Monday, June 29, 2020

    To the authors and signatories of “The Ground We Stand On” in the arts community, and all our industry kin,

    We in the IATSE know that you see us.  Please know we are listening to you as you rightly demand equality, inclusion, diversity, fairness, opportunity and respect.

    The Preamble to the IATSE Constitution and Bylaws clearly states our purpose as a union: “To achieve, by organization and mutual endeavor, the improvement of the social and economic conditions of employees identified with the theatrical, … industries...”.  This means that the purpose and responsibility of every IATSE Local Union and every IATSE member is to work not only for better economic conditions in entertainment, but also to strive to improve the social conditions for all workers in this industry, not just our membership.  But even more basic than that is our core belief that solidarity depends on each of us recognizing our common humanity and the dignity of each person.

    We acknowledge that we have not always lived up to our own values and ideals of unionism, through our action, inaction, apathy, and at times ambivalence. For too long, we have turned a blind eye to the need for our workspaces to represent all members of our society, and for all workers to have an equal opportunity to enter the entertainment industry.

    We can do better. We must do better. We will do better.

    Upending systemic racism in the arts and entertainment industry will demand humility, ownership, accountability, and a lot of hard work. It’s going to take our entire community coming together to create real, lasting, change.  

    To this end, we call for an immediate industry-wide discussion to begin to address these issues and change the culture of the arts community. It should encompass Labor, Management, Artists, Industry Professionals and Leaders. It needs to be as all-encompassing as possible, with stakeholders from every portion of the community. The IATSE is moving ahead to reshape our union to live up to the ideals in our Preamble.  We want to work with our colleagues toward true transformation. 

    As August Wilson stated in “The Ground on Which I Stand,” “What we do now becomes history by which our grandchildren will judge us.”

    Please join us.

     

    Signed by 

    Matthew D. Loeb
    International President

    James B. Wood
    General Secretary Treasurer

    Michael J. Barnes
    First Vice President

    Thom Davis
    Second Vice President

    Damian Petti
    Third Vice President

    Michael F. Miller, Jr.
    Fourth Vice President

    Daniel E. Di Tolla
    Fifth Vice President

    John R. Ford
    Sixth Vice President

    John M. Lewis
    Seventh Vice President

    Craig P. Carlson
    Eighth Vice President

    Phil S. LoCicero
    Ninth Vice President

    C. Faye Harper
    Tenth Vice President

    Colleen A. Glynn
    Eleventh Vice President

    James J. Claffey, Jr.
    Twelfth Vice President

    Joanne M. Sanders
    Thirteenth Vice President