SAINT JOHN, NB – On May 12, the New Brunswick Labour and Employment Board certified IATSE Local 680 as the bargaining agent for all stagehands at the Imperial Theatre in Saint John. The stagehands reached out to the IATSE in August of 2016, and a meeting was held in September. Within a week of that meeting, support for representation was nearly unanimous and an application for certification was filed with the Labour Board on September 27.
Kudos to the employer, who, after some initial back and forth, got on side with the wishes of its employees and, in April, voluntarily sat down to negotiate a Memorandum of Agreement with the employees. A previously scheduled hearing was deemed unnecessary by the Board, and a certification was issued on May 12.
The gorgeous, 850-softseat Imperial was built in 1912 and quickly became the most important venue in the province, featuring talent such as Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, and currently hosting productions by the Atlantic Ballet Theatre and Symphony New Brunswick. The ten new IATSE members are looking forward to working at this beautiful venue under their first agreement.