Conflict between the Embassy and the local theatrical workers union led to a protest outside of the theater this past weekend. WBOI’s Ella Abbott reports on what’s causing the problem and what the next steps are.
IATSE Local 146 in Fort Wayne showed up outside of the Embassy Theater Sunday during a show featuring comedian Gary Owen. The union is saying the Embassy has neglected to call them for four events in the last two months.
Embassy officials say in an email “The union currently disagrees with some language” in the contract that was renewed last year and is valid until August 31, 2026.
Christopher Holt is the secretary treasurer for Local 146. He says the language in the contract says the Embassy “shall” contact the union to request workers for each work call.
“So, the disconnect comes from ‘what is a work call?’ And I know that that’s the crux of it because the production manager there has actually told me that a work call is ‘whenever we call you guys to work.’ But the industry defines a work call as whenever there is anything that needs to be done.”
Holt says the Embassy is creating their own definition of a work call, which is causing the friction. He says he doesn’t understand how the union could be misunderstanding the contract, because he wrote the wording.
IATSE Local 146 also has a contract with the Memorial Coliseum, Foellinger Theater, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic as well as a few theaters outside of Fort Wayne, which use the same contract language.
Holt also said this has led to a loss of wages for him, because he turned down other work to prioritize the Embassy show and then the union wasn't requested to work it.
Per procedure, Holt says they’ve been given the green light to move ahead with arbitration, which is scheduled for the end of September.
We should disclose that the Embassy Theater is a financial supporter of WBOI.
