Local One IATSE Celebrates 125 Years of Unity April 17

Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) marks a remarkable century and a quarter as the first and foremost stagecraft labor union on Sunday evening, April 17, at 5:00pm with a star-studded gala celebration in the grand ballroom of the Hilton Hotel, 1335 Avenue of the America in New York City.

One of the oldest and strongest unions in the world, Local One IATSE's celebration includes a black tie dinner for 1000 members, supporters and employers and a stage show that includes performances by The Radio City Rockettes, the cast of the hit Broadway musical Million Dollar Quartet, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Metropolitan Opera Star Eric Owens and Tony and Emmy Award winning Broadway star Bebe Neuwirth.

The evening will also feature the world premiere of a special "Top Ten" video by David Letterman.

"April 17 is a celebration of what a strong, unified, dedicated and vigilant union can do for its members and its members' families," said James J. Claffey, Jr. President of the 3100-strong Local One IATSE. "Today, Local One's membership is deeply rooted in the middle class. It wasn't always so. Our success is due solely to the struggle of our union forefathers to gain and to protect the decent wages benefits and jobs we enjoy. The Brothers and Sisters who will celebrate Local One's 125th anniversary stand on the shoulders of giants."

Local One < www.iatselocalone.org> is the premiere stagecraft union in the world, representing 3,100 stage and studio electricians, set carpenters, sound designers, audio technicians, moving-light operators, riggers and special effects people in Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island, Westchester and Rockland.

Local One members construct, install, maintain, and operate the lighting and sound equipment, the scenery and special effects which thrill and delight audiences attending Broadway shows; concerts at Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall; the magnificent, spectacular productions at The Metropolitan Opera and throughout Lincoln Center; and the many entertainment and news broadcasts from CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX and PBS. Local One technicians work behind the scenes at numerous cable TV studios, major corporate industrials and special events.

It was on April 26, 1886, that a group of stage workers met in the heart of the theater district (then 187 Bowery) to form The Theatrical Protective Union. The goal, as the charter then and now states, was for "the development and improvement of our conditions... a fair and just compensation commensurate with the service rendered..."

Seven years later and following The Theatrical Protective Union's lead, representatives from Chicago, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Denver, Syracuse, Buffalo and Boston assembled in New York to join with their Broadway brothers in founding the National Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, today know as the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada (IATSE) with 110,000 members.

Where are Local One IATSE stagehands employed? Just about everywhere in its jurisdiction of Manhattan, The Bronx, Staten Island, Westchester and Rockland counties. Venues include ABC, Carnegie Hall, The Apollo, CBS-TV, City Center, CUNY, Aaron David Hall, The Danny Kaye Playhouse, HOSTOS, Brooklyn College, Pace University, Beacon Theater, Joyce Theater, Lehman College, FOX Television, Lincoln Center, The Metropolitan Opera, The David H. Koch Theater, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, Madison Square Garden, NBC, The New Victory, The 92nd Street "Y", Thirteen, The Palace, The Laura Pels, Radio City Music Hall, The Richard Rodgers, The Roundabout, The Schoenfeld, The Shubert Theatre, The Neil Simon, The St. James, Studio 54, Town Hall, The Winter Garden, the tents of Fashion Week and WPIX.