Workers at the Live Nation-owned venues Summit Music Hall and Marquis Theater on Tuesday voted to join a stagehands union to combat what they have described as low pay, staffing issues and other poor labor conditions.
A majority of the 30 or so eligible stage-crew and production workers at the two Denver venues voted to join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local #7, according to a statement, in an election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board.
The move turns all of Live Nation’s Denver venues, including the Fillmore Auditorium, into businesses where employees will have greater worker protections, according to the Denver-based organization they want to join.
“These fearless workers are just looking for a fair shake while working for one of the largest corporations in the industry,” said Max Peterson, business representative for the Denver Theatrical Stage, Film & Exhibition Employees’ Union, in a Denver Post interview earlier this month. “When Live Nation purchased these venues (in 2018), the crew were not represented by a union, and that continued into Live Nation’s operation of these venues. Many of the incredibly skilled and capable people working behind the scenes in rock ‘n’ roll do not have the security and protection afforded by a collective bargaining agreement.”
“Labor conditions for production workers in the rock and roll industry are insecure, benefits are virtually nonexistent, and wages are low in comparison to union jobs within the entertainment industry,” said IATSE organizer Hilliard Probasco in the Tuesday statement. “This crew has decided to take action to change that, and we look forward to helping them achieve these necessary changes.”
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The workers at Summit and Marquis coming together to form a union is in no way related to the current legal issues Live Nation is grappling with, union officials told The Denver Post this month. In late May, a lawsuit was brought by the federal government and several states’ attorneys general alleging that the company that owns Ticketmaster holds a monopoly over live events that has harmed consumers.
“We look forward to sitting down with Live Nation to negotiate a contract that can provide safety, security and a better quality of life for these skilled and dedicated stagehands and technicians,” Peterson said in Tuesday’s statement.
Live Nation officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.