Equity in the News

The PRO Act includes several measures that fight back against union-busting tactics by employers and strengthens the National Labor Relations Act.

On Feb. 22, Actors’ Equity Association published a report reflecting hiring bias and wage gaps for union members in 2021. The last report, released in 2022, examined data from 2020.

The latest installment of Actors’ Equity Association’s annual hiring and wage report – covering the year 2021 and titled “Progress During an Atypical Year” – finds that the theater industry made small but steady progress in diversity and equity in union jobs for stage managers and actors.

The Actors’ Equity Association, a labor union representing Broadway performers, said in a statement that “‘Parade’ tells an important story of what happens when antisemitism and other kinds of hatred are allowed to grow unchecked.”

Actors’ Equity Association is the union for more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers working in live theater, but its name only captures one profession of its members.

The union announced Wednesday that it is making permanent its Open Access policy, which was first introduced in July 2021.

In a Feb. 8 email to members, Actors’ Equity Association declared that the union’s open membership initiative, Open Access, will go from a temporary program to permanent policy.

"We are witnessing not just attacks on expression but attacks on existence," says the stage actor and stage managers' union.

The 8th annual Swing Day will take place on Wednesday, January 18, 2023.

"The National Endowment for the Arts supports jobs in every Congressional district in the country. While we advocate primarily for the actors and stage managers we represent, we applaud that NEA funding also drives economic growth in restaurants, hospitality, tourism and beyond. This increase will mean more jobs and a stronger economy for everyone," said Kate Shindle, president of Actors' Equity Association.