Live Nation workers at Denver’s Summit Music Hall, Marquis Theater vote to join stagehands union

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.”