BRANTFORD, ONTARIO, May 9 – International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes (IATSE) Local 129 has successfully negotiated its first agreement with the Sanderson Centre of Brantford, Ontario, nearly twenty years after organizing efforts began at the city-owned venue.
The certification of union recognition granted in March 2005 was a triumph for Local 129, as it represented the local’s third attempt in twenty years to organize the venue.
More than one year of collective bargaining later and with the help of Assistant to the President Sean McGuire, an agreement was reached and ratified by both parties. Negotiations had focussed on wages, job security, and working conditions. In addition, the new agreement includes provisions which did not exist before for overtime, holidays and bereavement leave.
Originally named the Temple Theatre when it opened in 1919 as a vaudeville house, the 1133-seat venue was purchased ten years later by Famous Players and entertained movie-goers for the next six decades. In 1985, it was sold to the City of Brantford, and after $6 million in renovations, was re-opened in 1989 as the Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts.