Labour Rates

[spenserh]

Recently got word that we may be having a review of the hourly wages for a few of our positions in the near future, I am a little bit concerned that some of the positions are going to get bumped down in the process.

I know some people don't like to talk about wages, but if anyone who works in Theatre either as a stage hand or a technician is willing to chat, or even if there are other TDs who have gone through a similar situation, please PM me. I don't want to end up in a position where I cannot staff events because our wages are non-competitive with surrounding venues, so I'm hoping to have a bit of ammunition going into these talks.

People in Canada would be great, people in Ontario would be even better.

 

[RonHebbard]

Recently got word that we may be having a review of the hourly wages for a few of our positions in the near future, I am a little bit concerned that some of the positions are going to get bumped down in the process.

I know some people don't like to talk about wages, but if anyone who works in Theatre either as a stage hand or a technician is willing to chat, or even if there are other TDs who have gone through a similar situation, please PM me. I don't want to end up in a position where I cannot staff events because our wages are non-competitive with surrounding venues, so I'm hoping to have a bit of ammunition going into these talks.

People in Canada would be great, people in Ontario would be even better.

@spenserh Down the road in Hamilton, Ontario hourly rates and conditions vary from venue to venue. IA Local 129 has (or had, I'm retired and no longer current) different contracts with the city when it owned the Hamilton Place Great Hall and Studio venues and also with the city when it owned the convention centre and Copp's Colliseum. Theatre Aquarius was different, and lower, again which made it more difficult to attract senior / experienced workers if / when the other venues were busy. Also, when local 58 got busy in Toronto, many of 129's best workers would travel 40 miles down the road where the wages were higher still but so was the parking.
You may try checking with IA 461 for their rates with The Shaw Festival and / or IA 357 for their rates with The Stratford Shakespearean Festival. @Dionysus may say a few words regarding the Grand and McMannis venues in London, Ontario. Are you with the Chatham Cultural Centre, I toured through there a couple of times before you purchased your lift.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.

 

[Dionysus]

@spenserh Here in London we have IA local 105, which like Ron mentioned has been commonly been sending guys to Toronto and such for quite some time now. Very hard to get in depending on a few things of course (I am not a member).
IA Pay rates haven't changed in the last number of years. Several local venues were paying under the new minimum wage for stagehands so some people got some pay raises in January.

I work at the McManus Stage in the Grand Theatre (the Spriet Stage is IA), have done the occasional IA call, and also am TD of a venue in town (350 seat community theatre), and work at London Music Hall a well known and respected music venue. Of course I also do some festivals and such on top of all of that. I am TD of a 6 stage Folk Festival, where wages haven't changed in the last few years.

If you want you can PM me and I can be a little more detailed about wages, I don't care to be on a public forum.

I also have friends who are TDs at varying venues in the Provence (Markham Theatre, Sanderson Centre, etc).

 

[StradivariusBone]

You might try poking through the latest listings on offstagejobs.com. From what I saw on twitter they are now requiring job offers post wages as well. It might shed some light on where the industry is in different regions.

 

[spenserh]

@spenserh Down the road in Hamilton, Ontario hourly rates and conditions vary from venue to venue. IA Local 129 has (or had, I'm retired and no longer current) different contracts with the city when it owned the Hamilton Place Great Hall and Studio venues and also with the city when it owned the convention centre and Copp's Colliseum. Theatre Aquarius was different, and lower, again which made it more difficult to attract senior / experienced workers if / when the other venues were busy. Also, when local 58 got busy in Toronto, many of 129's best workers would travel 40 miles down the road where the wages were higher still but so was the parking.
You may try checking with IA 461 for their rates with The Shaw Festival and / or IA 357 for their rates with The Stratford Shakespearean Festival. @Dionysus may say a few words regarding the Grand and McMannis venues in London, Ontario. Are you with the Chatham Cultural Centre, I toured through there a couple of times before you purchased your lift.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.

I am with the Capitol Theatre, just around the corner from the CCC, although we do send staff over there from time to time.

You hit the nail on the head, I feel I have compiled a list of people that I can trust to get the job done, I want to make sure that those people are happy and properly compensated. Being sandwiched in between Windsor and London, there are a lot of work opportunities that are only an hour drive away.

@spenserh If you want you can PM me and I can be a little more detailed about wages, I don't care to be on a public forum.

I also have friends who are TDs at varying venues in the Provence (Markham Theatre, Sanderson Centre, etc).

Understood on wanting to keep things private, I'll send you a PM.

You might try poking through the latest listings on offstagejobs.com. From what I saw on twitter they are now requiring job offers post wages as well. It might shed some light on where the industry is in different regions.

Thanks, I will check this out.

 

[Footer]

I'll talk too.... right now I am having to raise my base rates to get people and even then we are having issues. Now is not the to reduce any wages. My call list has completely fell apart in the last few years. The people who went back to school during the recession and could still work are now moving on to their new jobs. The people who stuck around have figured out they can get full time work other places.... or they now want to go back to school too. At the same time promoters are dialing up booking and shows are not afraid of diesel anymore so shows are bigger then ever. Our base is 16/hr US dollar, overtime after 8 hours. We are in a C market. Crew heads move up from there.

 

[josh88]

I'll jump in. I suppose. I worked for a major scenic company where there were always plenty of people applying looking for work in new england and I was making around 16/hr, my freelance rate when I was mixing musicals or doing dance lighting, etc was $20-35 depending on the group, and I still make around the middle of that range for a production company.

There are some big name theatres around here offering WAAAAY less than that and either they're finding desperate people or just have enough applicants that they can have turnover and keep going. The established theatres around here don't seem to offer much.

 

[spenserh]

Thanks guys, I appreciate all the input.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

There’s a non-Union call board on Facebook for Chicago that has mandated a $15/hour minimum wage policy. Honestly, I think that’s a really good low end. Anything less is just takin advantage of people for their love of the arts. $15 isn’t amazing but it’s not minimum wage.

As for Union, the full time carps where I work make in the mid $20s/hour. We’re on the lower end of the Union payscales in Chicago, but it’s theatre and that’s the contract as negotiated. Other venues, especially corporate heavy convention halls, have much higher rates.


In general, I think it’s a very good thing to discuss wages and earnings with your peers. Certain business practices like uneven compensation need to stop hiding in the shadows.

And lastly, you DO get what you pay for. Good, fast, cheap. Pick two.