WASHINGTON – Every year, thousands of showgoers listen to the voices of musical artists performing at D.C.’s legendary 9:30 Club. Now it’s the concert venue’s workers who are asking to be heard. Employees who work for the live music promotion and production company I.M.P., operators of the 9:30 Club, The Anthem, The Atlantis and Lincoln Theatre, have asked management at I.M.P. and its related companies to agree to a fair process to unionize.

On Monday, 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.

“I love working here, but we just want better support from our employer,” said Hunter Spears, who works door staff. “I’ve taken boots to the face. I’ve been thrown up on. I’ve hurt my wrist catching crowd surfers.”

“We work at an internationally renowned venue, and we deserve to be treated like we work at an internationally renowned venue. I don’t feel like we are treated with dignity,” said stagehand and audio engineer Lee Reber. Reber and many others on the production staff work at The Anthem in addition to staffing I.M.P.’s U Street corridor venues.

Two years ago, the First Avenue club in Minneapolis, a concert venue comparable to the 9:30 Club, voluntarily recognized a union affiliated with UNITE HERE that workers had joined. This year, the venue’s workers with staff at associated clubs ratified their first union contract that included raises, as well as improved training and safety policies.

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.

“I grew up going to shows at 9:30 Club and always thought the club was the coolest,” says door staffer, Maggie Letvin, who’s worked for I.M.P. for four years. “I want the club to be successful, and I think workers can help.”

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