Climate for Change, a Complete Climate Jobs Roadmap for New York City

Actors’ Equity Association Secures Release from NonDisclosure Agreements for Members Who Worked Under Abusive Employer

Actors’ Equity Association has reached an agreement with The Broadway League that releases its members who worked on several Broadway productions from non-disclosure agreements they signed that prohibited them from speaking about workplace abuses from producer Scott Rudin. Equity first called for this change when Rudin was accused by former assistants last year of abusive workplace behavior, and it became clear that NDAs were preventing far more workers from speaking out. The League also agrees that going forward its members will only use non-disclosure language in contracts or riders in limited, approved circumstances, such as protecting intellectual property or financial information. Producing members of The Broadway League may no longer use NDAs to silence actors and stage managers who want to speak out against workplace harassment, bullying or discrimination. Equity intends to bring similarly protective language forward in negotiations with their other bargaining partners in support of creating a new industry standard. “As new shows develop, we understand that sometimes NDAs are necessary to protect these works in progress,” said Al Vincent, Jr., executive director of Actors’ Equity Association. “However, NDAs may not and will not be used to protect anyone from the consequences of their own bad behavior. This settlement is a major step in ensuring they will not be used in that way again.” p

Climate for Change, a Complete Climate Jobs Roadmap for New York City, a new report released on May 19 by Cornell University’s Labor Leading on Climate Program. The report presents a roadmap for New York City to fight the climate crisis, make NYC safer and address racial and economic inequity by investing in a pro-worker renewable energy transition. The report, which finds that New York City’s climate goals are not ambitious enough and that climate work is not happening at scale, outlines a concrete plan for the City to slash emissions and create high-quality union careers. “Public schools, CUNY, NYCHA, and many other New York City facilities can all play a role in our city’s fight against climate change,” said NYC CLC President Vincent Alvarez. “The roadmap presented to city leaders is clear in how we can cut carbon emissions while creating good union jobs and ensuring the resiliency of our city for decades to come. New York City unions are ready to work with the City Council and Mayor to bring the Climate for Change report to life and bring opportunities to underserved neighborhoods in the process.” The report comes as the Adams administration and city officials debate how to invest millions of dollars in unallocated federal infrastructure and relief funds. The report was developed in consultation with unions and labor groups including the NYC CLC, 32BJ SEIU, United Federation of Teachers, Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, District Council 37 and the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, New York State Nurses Association, Communication Workers of America and UA Local Union No. 1 The Plumbers of New York City as well as environmental, industry and governmental leaders in New York City. CJNY is urging City leaders to adopt the measures recommended in the report to drastically reduce carbon emissions and pollution and advance job creation and equity.p just for us, but hopefully, kind of setting a new tone going forward.” It’s kinda ironic that Rapinoe, who is 36 and nearing the end of her superb career with the U.S. national team, won’t be reaping many of the financial benefits of this new arrangement she fought so hard for. Howerver, she is proud of the legacy she’ll be leaving for the next generation of U.S. women’s soccer, just as the previous generation started the quest. “I feel like we’re just building blocks on each other,” Rapinoe added. “I think this fighting spirit that we have, and just our inability and unwillingness to quit or take less, or to be quiet about the inequities that we face, comes from them — ‘91, and ‘95 and ’99 [previous World Cup teams]. And all of those players that came before — that’s the DNA, that’s the fabric, that’s why we’re here fighting the way that we are. “I know they won’t see the benefits of it. I’ll barely see the benefits of it. But I hope everybody takes pride in knowing that they were a huge part in hopefully seismically shifting soccer in this country for women.”p

Climate for Change, a Complete Climate Jobs Roadmap for New York City U.S National Women's Soccer Team Wins Equal Pay

Megan Rapinoe of USA celebrates after scoring during the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup France Editorial credit: feelphoto / Shutterstock.com

Contracts approved this week will guarantee, for the first time, that soccer players representing the United States men’s and women’s national teams will receive the same pay when competing in international matches and competitions. In addition to equal rates of pay for individual matches, the deals include a provision, believed to be the first of its kind, through which the teams will pool the unequal prize money payments U.S. Soccer receives from FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, for their participation in the quadrennial World Cup. Starting with the 2022 men’s tournament and the 2023 Women’s World Cup, that money will be shared equally among the members of both teams. That is the cornerstone of what the women have been seeking all along — a quest that included a contentious lawsuit and a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed in 2016 by Megan Rapinoe and four other women’s national team stars. The difference in compensation for men and women has been one of the most contentious issues in soccer in recent years, particularly after the American women won consecutive World Cup championships, in 2015 and 2019, and the men failed to qualify for the 2018 tournament. On the USWNT’s milestone equalpay deal, Rapinoe said, “I don’t think you can overstate how huge this is not

40th IBEW International Convention

Delegates from across the IBEW in the United States and Canada traveled to Chicago for the union’s 40th International Convention. A total of 1,639 delegates from 515 local unions including New York's IBEW Local 3 were present as of the first day, accounting for nearly 600,000 of the approximately 750,000 members of the IBEW. Highlights included a keynote address by President Joe Biden, the first time the IBEW International Convention has hosted a sitting president. p