St. Paul, MN – Approximately 34 in-house audio and video workers at Allianz Field, the home stadium for Major League Soccer’s Minnesota United FC (MNUFC) ratified their first contract Tuesday — bringing an end to eight months of contentious negotiations for the newly unionized crew. The workers voted to join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 745 by an overwhelming margin in September 2022 following a National Labor Relations Board election and began the process of bargaining their first contract shortly thereafter. In October 2023, a lack of movement by management triggered a one-day strike from the workers, resulting in a near-total blackout of broadcast coverage for MNUFC’s final home game of the season. This successful resolution represents a win for workers and fans, as well as a paradigm shift in the landscape of conditions for in-house stadium crews.
The new agreement contains significantly improved wages and terms, with workers seeing a 29% increase on average over the next three years, boosting average pay from about $220 per game to $284 starting in 2026. Prior to their decision to unionize, the crew had only ever received one wage increase since the team joined MLS in 2017. Additionally, the collective bargaining agreement guarantees a minimum of 5.5 hours pay per game, a first for in-house technicians in Minnesota, according to IATSE Local 745 Business Representative Charlie Cushing.
“3 months ago, I didn’t know if we were ever going to get an agreement,” Cushing said. “I’m excited. Our goal from the beginning was to improve working conditions and wages and we have certainly achieved that, albeit after a long fight. This sets the standard for what other in-house contracts will look like across the country,” added Cushing.
“We would like to thank the supporter clubs, the officers, staff, and fellow affiliates of the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation and the numerous elected officials that support organized labor, Governor Tim Walz, St Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, Congresswoman Betty McCollum, and many more for their tireless solidarity. This victory would not have been possible without their support,” said camera and replay operator, Josiah Wollan.
Live event and broadcast workers nationwide are coming together to win essential access to better wages and working conditions. If you are interested in joining the movement, head to iatse.net/join to contact an organizer.
