Arts And Entertainment Unions Urge House To Oppose Effort To Slash Federal Arts Funding

Representative Glenn Grothman has offered an amendment to the FY19 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill that would reduce funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) by 15 percent each. Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) President Paul E. Almeida issued the following statement in response to Rep. Grothman's amendment:

"DPE and our affiliate unions in the arts, entertainment, and media industries steadfastly oppose the Grothman amendment and any other attempt to slash federal arts funding. The NEA and NEH are vital to our economy, helping to support family-sustaining jobs in all 50 states. As we have repeatedly told members of Congress, the economic pain of reduced federal arts funding will be felt most acutely in small towns and rural communities, far from the soundstages of Hollywood and bright lights of Broadway."

DPE unions in the arts, entertainment, and media industries include:

Actors' Equity Association (AEA)
American Federation of Musicians (AFM)
American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA)
American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA)
Directors Guild of America (DGA)
Guild of Italian American Actors (GIAA)
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts (IATSE)
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU)
SAG-AFTRA
Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC)
Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE)

The Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE) is a coalition of 24 unions representing over four million professional and technical union members. DPE affiliate unions represent professionals in over 300 occupations in education and healthcare; science, engineering, and technology; legal, business, and management; media, entertainment, and the arts; and public administration.