IATSE: Urge Rhino Staging to negotiate with its riggers

The following is from the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE):

FIFE (Oct. 2, 2018) — Rhino Staging is a massive company that contracts workers for concerts and has taken over the Northwest through unfair labor practices, according to IATSE. Their business model is based on paying workers less than a living wage and cutting corners on benefits, safety and training, the union says.

TAKE A STAND — Rhino’s riggers want fair pay and better conditions so they voted to come together in a union to make that happen. But management is ignoring them. Now, they need your support to show the company that they won’t just go away. Will you Stand with Rhino workers and sign our petition? Please sign this petition to tell Rhino Staging to negotiate with their riggers.

Safety is important to riggers, but IATSE reports that Rhino often demands that riggers take unsafe shortcuts on the job. Rhino workers have complained to the union about having to evade rattlesnakes and endure temperatures in excess of 100°F on the job. Workers who raise concerns are often not called back for future work, fostering a culture where workers are afraid to speak up out of fear for their job security.

To address their concerns, workers in Washington and Oregon voted to form a union to speak up together and be heard by Rhino’s management. However, IATSE says Rhino’s owners have refused to sit down and bargain in good faith for months.

That’s where you come in.

Many of the venues that Rhino operates at are publicly owned, and these venues have options for what staging company to hire for events. The people who make those decisions pay attention to public opinion. Supporters of Rhino’s riggers need to show that people across the Pacific Northwest care about this issue and demand that Rhino do better.

Please join more than 6,000 people who have already signed the petition to demand that Rhino negotiate with the hardworking men and women backstage who make these events happen. Sign this petition to tell Rhino Staging, “We don’t want your company working at concerts unless you treat backstage workers fairly and negotiate a contract.”