Congrats to our new members of the WSO backstage team !
Also a big thank you to Brother Stuart Aikman for making this happen.
The Stage Manager and Technical Coordinator at the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra have become the latest behind-the-scenes workers to vote for representation by the IATSE. After discussions began a few months ago between the two WSO workers and IATSE Local 63, the process moved very quickly. Local 63 filed an application for certification on May 10, and the representation vote was held electronically on May 18 and 19. Although one of the ballots was sealed pending a dispute over the bargaining unit, the parties were able to come to an agreement. Results released by the Manitoba Labour Relations Board demonstrated unanimous support. The Labour Board’s decision, released July 18, awards IATSE Local 63 jurisdiction for “all employees employed by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra Inc. performing production work, including but not limited to employees in the classifications of Stage Manager and Technical Coordinator, save and except those employees covered by another collective agreement and those excluded by the Act.”
Founded in 1948, The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at the Centennial Concert Hall, also providing orchestral accompaniment to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Manitoba Opera. Including travelling performances, the WSO presents an average of 80 concerts each season and sees over 40,000 students attending their concerts.
Local 63 has represented the stagehands at Centennial Concert Hall, where the WSO regularly performs, for decades. The Stage Manager and Technical Coordinator are thrilled to join the ranks of the stagehands they’ve worked alongside for years, and look forward to beginning negotiations for this new IATSE agreement.
Read article on the IATSE Canada site.
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