Actors' Equity Association Stands with the Academic Workers of the University of California

Actors' Equity Association, the national labor union representing more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers in live theatre, has announced its support for the 48,000 academic workers of the University of California currently fighting for an equitable UC with the following statement:

"Actors' Equity Association stands in solidarity with the 48,000 academic workers of the University of California currently fighting for an equitable UC. Many Equity members are proud alumni of the University of California. We call on the University to bargain in good faith and speedily reach fair agreements with the workers who make UC the #1 ranked public university system in the United States.

"Actors and stage managers have a lot in common with academic workers. Too often our labor is discounted because our jobs are not just a vocation but an avocation. But the passion we all bring to our jobs should be seen as a reason to ensure that our work is compensated fairly, and that we are afforded the conditions necessary to succeed. Passion is not enough to counter the unsustainable rent, long commutes and lack of support for working parents and international scholars. Our publicly funded institutions must do better by the communities they exist to serve.

"This is a fight for the future of our higher education system. Without the labor of the UC's academic workers, learning would stall, research would fail and the university would be unable to function. Academic Workers' working conditions are the learning conditions for the hundreds of thousands of students who study at UC. UC's ongoing failure to support a diverse workforce sends a clear message about who belongs in higher education and who does not. This must change.

"The University of California must bargain fairly with UAW to give these workers the contracts they need and deserve."

ACTORS' EQUITY ASSOCIATION, founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers. Equity endeavors to advance the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits (health and pension included). Member: AFL-CIO, FIA. www.actorsequity.org #EquityWorks