Over 300 Local and National Artists Sign 9:30 Club Worker Solidarity Letter
Hundreds of musicians and members of the music community sign letter in support of workers at I.M.P.’s Washington, D.C. concert venues who are organizing for a fair process to unionize.
WASHINGTON– More than 300 local and national artists including Tom Morello, Ted Leo, Soccer Mommy, Neko Case, MJ Lenderman, Yaddiya, Ekko Astral, and Jeff Rosenstock have signed a letter to I.M.P. management asking the concert promoter to agree a fair process where workers can unionize. I.M.P. manages Washington, D.C. venues that include the 9:30 Club, Anthem, Atlantis, and Lincoln Theatre.
“We believe that unionizing will lead to a more just workplace,” reads the letter. “We know that I.M.P plays an integral role in D.C.’s music scene and that workers help to create the I.M.P. culture we all appreciate. We believe a fairer and more equitable workplace for I.M.P. employees will be beneficial to everyone in the industry.”
The full letter and its signatories are available on Instagram.
Various groups that have performed at the I.M.P. venues across the city or are performing in the coming weeks signed the letter. In mid-November, Tom Morello, of Rage Against the Machine, is performing at Lincoln Theatre, and Pinkshift is headlining the Atlantis. Musicians of Clear Channel played the legendary 9:30 Club and penned the letter.
“It is obvious that the staff truly love music and care about their work, which is why is it always a joy to perform and attend shows at 9:30 Club. In building collective power, music workers can create a more just music industry,” says Mary Regalado, of Clear Channel and Downtown Boys.
The letter includes generations of punk musicians reflecting the 9:30 Club’s important history in the punk scene, with signatories also including Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto and Joe Lally, as well as bands of D.C.-based independent record label Dischord Records like Hammered Hulls and Black Eyes.
Earlier this week, workers delivered petitions to I.M.P. management on behalf of the 300+ organizing staff calling for card check agreements that create a straightforward process to assess support for union representation without employer interference.
I.M.P. operates state-of-the-art venues, but for the people who work at these D.C. concert halls, schedules are inconsistent, workers juggle multiple jobs, and wages are low. Some I.M.P. employees earn as little as $18.25 per hour, 30 cents above D.C.’s minimum wage. Work assignments at times can be dangerous and stressful -- it’s commonplace for workers to be asked to lift heavy materials, be called on to support patrons who have serious health emergencies and manage crowd surfers.
This grassroots effort by I.M.P.s workforce has been assisted by three local unions. Departments at 9:30 Club, the Atlantis, and Lincoln Theatre that deal with food, beverage and staffing the door and floor are organizing with support from UNITE HERE Local 25. UNITE HERE is the leading union in the D.C. metropolitan area for food service workers in restaurants, hotels, and event centers. Sound and stage production staff at the U Street corridor venues and Anthem have reached out to IATSE Local 22, the behind-the-scenes entertainment union. I.M.P.’s box office staff across all four venues are organizing with IATSE Local 868, which represents box office workers at many area venues.
I.M.P. has a history of using union production crews at other area venues. Along with its operations in the U Street neighborhood and at The Anthem, I.M.P. has produced shows at the Merriweather Post Pavillion for 20 years; those concerts have been staffed by stage crews represented by IATSE. The union also has staffed I.M.P. productions at both the Capitol One Arena and DAR Constitution Hall.
# # #