I'll break it down into separate sections:
"My question is how does new 'Right to Work" legislation potentially impact
road houses? If I'm running a
road house and I have a
Yellow Card show coming through, can I now push through using non-IATSE hands on the gig to cut down on my labor over-head? Can IA still dictate who gets calls in "Right to Work" states?"
If you do not have a contract with an
IATSE local, you've always been able to hire non-union. All a
Yellow Card is, is the list of crew and in what departments the touring
IATSE head carpenter requires for the gig and as sent to the business agent for the local that has area jurisdiction. Typically the contract the event has with the
venue (
rider) also stipulates the crew size minimums. Tours under
IATSE pink contract play non-union venues all the time, as BTW.
All the
yellow card then does is inform the local. If the
IATSE local has no contract and never provides crew, then the
yellow card gets ignored if the BA can't provide crew, or the
venue says no thanks. Being a so-called right-to-work state has typically meant that the union, even if it has an existing contract with a
venue has no right to withdraw membership dues (Edit
or require union membership, if the member chooses not too. Some laws can have other aspects, and I'm not familiar with Michigan's. One of the aspects of the inability to collect dues from every employee an
IATSE contract covers, is it dilutes the local's ability to pay for legal fees related to unionization processes, bargaining costs, as well as reduces the cash flow for member welfare benefits. It also tends to minimize the unions ability to
lobby at the governmental
level, for improved workers rights. Right-to-work does not change a contract a union has with a
venue. If the contract states that all work must be performed by members of the union, then the
venue gives up the right to hire non-union.
"I'm not an
IATSE member and have toyed with the idea of joining my local, but I wonder what is in the future for Tours with legislation like this floating about. Couldn't venues argue the
point now they they legally don't need to follow Union stipulations for labor requirement because of right-to-work?"
No, a contract is a contract. If the employees ask for union representation, then the NLRB gets involved, a vote is then taken. If the employees vote yes, then the parties craft a contract. If that contract states the
venue may hire non-union (as my
venue is allowed), then in a RTW condition, the union may not withdraw from a employee any dues or monies for benefits without the employees permission.
Thus I don't think it's going to change much as venues that currently have union representation with strong contracts that limit the work to only union members, will continue under those contracts. The venues may well attempt to dilute the contract by allowing non-union. So we may start to see labor fights over this issue in the future.