AFL-CIO, Entertainment Unions Unveil Federal Priorities For Nonprofit Artists and Journalists (Exclusive)

The AFL-CIO, the largest labor federation in the U.S., with members including Actors’ Equity, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE and more, has put forward a slate of new federal policies it hopes can create more sustainable careers in the nonprofit arts and media sectors. 

The policies, which speak to concerns from nonprofit workers across 11 unions, call for stronger labor protections as part of federal funding received through the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, gaining seats on federal grantmaking councils for working professionals and updating federal grants in these areas, so that the funds are not limited to just one production or project. 

There is not yet specific legislation around these priorities at the moment. However, since many cultural nonprofit organizations are still struggling to recover post-pandemic, the AFL-CIO laid out these goals as part of a “reimagining” of federal funding in these areas, said Michael Wasser, legislative director for the AFL-CIO’s Department for Professional Employees. 

“The answer is probably going to need to be increased funding, and, in our view, a reimagining of it. There’s been conversations in the sector and in the public spaces, about what that looks like. And we wanted to put a marker down from working professionals about what that from our perspective of what that entails,” Wasser said. 

In terms of greater labor protections, federal law requires that organizations that receive funding from the NEA or the NEH pay performers and others a minimum prevailing wage requirement. However, performers are not always paid that rate, Wasser said, and it’s been difficult for the Department of Labor to enforce payment. The AFL-CIO is asking for civil monetary penalties to be put in place for organizations that do not follow this law. 

The AFL-CIO is also asking for strengthened regulations around staffing requirements for CPB grantees in public media, in order to cut down on stations relying on temporary or contingent workers to fill in, rather than full-time employees. 

“This is seeing public media stations really turn to low-road models of outsourcing that really threatens our members’ jobs and also makes careers in public media certainly not sustainable, and much more difficult for people to to build a career to support their family,” Wasser said. 

Union members are also pushing for a seat on the National Council on the Arts, the National Council on the Humanities and the CPB’s board of directors in order to help shape the grantmaking process. One of the biggest issues, according to union members, is that the NEA grants cannot be used for operational costs, which is also why the AFL-CIO is pushing for broader funding. 

“Many grants are project-specific grants, and what I have seen also when I worked in administration is that nonprofit arts institutions are having to develop projects to qualify for that project-specific money, rather than getting the general operating help that would be really beneficial. And I think one of the reasons that that happens is because it doesn’t always seem like people who are directly affected by the decision-making that’s happening in these granting organizations are allowed at the table,” said Lee Osorio, an Actors’ Equity member based in Atlanta. 

Osorio added that making a career in nonprofit theater had already been a challenge pre-pandemic, when he had to work multiple jobs in addition to five to six theater gigs a year to make a living. But, it’s become even harder in recent years, with Osorio noting that he’s largely had to turn to television and audiobook work.

“It was unsustainable before, and it’s gotten worse. There’s less work. What I’ve seen in the theater sector is a lot of downsizing of productions. So you’re seeing a lot more solo shows. You’re seeing a lot more two-handers,” Osorio said. “So there are fewer jobs available from the people that are trying to make a living and raise a family that are living in regional communities like Atlanta.”

Ned Hanlon, president of the American Guild of Musical Artists, another AFL-CIO affiliate which represents singers, dancers and other staff in opera, ballet and more, said opera houses across the country are also producing fewer shows per year, which he hopes can be addressed by a reshaping of federal policy. Hanlon has also seen a number of people leave the industry in the past few years, which he attributes to the lower number of productions and largely stagnant wages. 

“We’ve had a pretty serious contraction, especially in opera. At the Met, we do 25% fewer productions now than we did three or four years ago. And that’s not because of ticket sales. Ticket sales are actually above pre-covid levels. It’s because of funding issues,” Hanlon said. “These policies are just trying to move the funding that does happen towards places that really support artists and allow artists to earn a sustainable living, as opposed to projects that are one-off.”