Late last year the Reader reported on a protest organized by more than 40 Riviera Theatre stagehands who claimed they’d been illegally fired in September 2015 by venerable Chicago-based promoter Jam Productions, which owns and operates several important local venues, including the Riv, Park West, and the Vic Theatre. The workers believed Jam was retaliating because they’d begun signing cards authorizing a union election—but unionization activity is legally protected by the National Labor Relations Act of 1935.
The protesters hoped not only to raise awareness to the stagehands’ cause but also to deliver a letter to Mickelson from Arise Chicago, formally requesting a meeting to open contract negotiations. “Drawing on our sacred Scriptures, which proclaim that each person is created in the image of God and therefore deserving of dignity and respect,” it begins, “we write to you as religious leaders with a serious concern.”
Jolly Roger hopes a new contract will address safety. “Safety concerns are being ignored. We’ve tried for years to improve safety, and we have been stopped every time,” he says. “For example, the ropes on the fly systems appear to have not been taken care of in years. Somebody could get hurt—and this is at all the venues. Not just the Riviera.” Many of the veteran stagehands who expressed similar concerns before last year’s unionization drive thought of themselves as whistleblowers trying to prevent costly or even tragic accidents—but instead they lost their jobs. Though they’re now working again, albeit not as much as before, contract negotiations show no sign of beginning soon.
