Tell Live Nation to End Crew One's Poor Performances in Atlanta
- by: IATSE
- recipient: Live Nation Co-President, North America Concerts, Mark Campana
Do you ever attend concerts and shows in and around Atlanta? Have plans to see a show this summer? Want to stop poor performances? You can.
The "poor performances" we're talking about happen backstage not onstage. Right now, at events featuring Beyoncé, Billy Joel, Maroon 5 and other popular artists, along with many Country and Classical performances, stagehands receive poverty-level wages and work under poor conditions.
National firms such as AEG and Live Nation promote most of the rock concerts at Philips Arena and other Atlanta-area venues. Live Nation, which brings in billions in revenue, also is the owner of Ticketmaster.
In dozens of major cities, including southern cities like Charlotte, Live Nation pays a living wage and offers healthcare, retirement and other benefits – but not in Atlanta. Stagehands and backstage craftsman working on Live Nation productions at venues in and around the Perimeter often don't even get water to drink.
Here in Georgia, shows are termed "promoter choice," Live Nation "chooses" to use a company called Crew One and other middlemen to staff concerts.
Crew One charges promoters hefty fees while paying sweatshop wages without benefits. Even worse, to have a job, people are "misclassified " and forced to work as independent contractors, which means they forfeit their right to social security, unemployment insurance and are not eligible for other protections on jobs that are often dangerous. This not only hurts workers, it costs you and other taxpayers as Crew One dodges their responsibility for employment taxes.
It's not right.
You can help your Georgia neighbors who work backstage. Take action today —tell Live Nation to stand up against Crew One's Poor Performances in Atlanta.
Mr. Mark Campana
Co-President, North America Concerts
Live Nation
Dear Mr. Campana:
It's time to end "poor performances" in Atlanta.
Your Atlanta-area contractor Crew One pays its workers poverty-level wages without benefits and forces stagehands and backstage craftsmen to work under poor conditions. It's just plain wrong. Firms like Crew One that cheat the State of Georgia out of payroll taxes are also unethical.
As concertgoers we want backstage workers in Atlanta who work on Live Nation's shows to be treated with the same respect that you treat workers in scores of other cities.
Backstage may be out of sight, but it's very much on our mind.
[Petition signer can add comment added here]
Crew One and other middlemen in Georgia are responsible for these poor performances. Ultimately as the concert promoter, we think it's time you asked Crew One to treat workers fairly and honor their rights. Tell Crew One to change their employment practices and choose a better way of doing business.
Please end poor performances in Atlanta.
[Your name]
