IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb issued the following statement.
The members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees welcome the MLBPA and its members to their new home in the AFL-CIO, “the House of Labor.” We look forward to working together with the players union and the union’s members. In many ways we share the field.
Many IATSE members are involved in roles behind the camera or other aspects of broadcasting, webcasting and staging Major League Baseball games. We have common interests with major league players as workers employed in the sports world.
For example, many IATSE members were denied work by the baseball owners’ 99-day lockout in the Spring, just as the players who should have been on the field were denied work because of the actions of the owners.
Another example, during the pandemic some regional sports networks tried to cut back on the way baseball was televised. Rather than expanding coverage at a time when the fans were barred from the ballparks, some networks tried use Covid-19 as an excuse to reduce the number of crews covering the game.
Today’s announcement was a winning play by the players association. We look forward to working in solidarity with the MLBPA to improve both the fan experience and the work lives of our members.
