Woody, I expect anti-union rhetoric from a Republican. There are very few non-union actors who can make a living, let alone a life-long career at their profession. There are considerable few who can probably do it in Equity. But a lot more than who aren't in Equity and your chances are a heck of a lot better in a Union that will fight for a decent living wage and benefits and decent working conditions.
It's mind-boggling to me that people who love theatre and the arts don't support the rights of artists to have decent working conditions and decent living wage. The abuses before Unions were legendary and if, in this political climate, Unions are neutered, the abuses will return. They are already returning as the Unions have been weakened.
Do you really think that Michael Eisner, one individual, should make more in salary and options in one year than the entire WGA pension fund for all its 8,000 members made the same year. It happened one year. Am I the only one who finds this monumentally apalling? If artists' unions are weakened, this sort of rich get richer, the poor get poorer mentality will only get worse.
The middle class of every creative community I know...film, theatre, musicians, writers of all stripes... has been gutted and continues to erode.
If it happens to the Union artists, things will not improve for the non-union artists.
