Folks,
Greetings from the Burgh,where we are burning the midnight oil to raise money to meet the monthly budget.
$1,300 Short of Monthly Budget with One Week to Go
We are currently $1,300 short of our monthly goal. This money helps pay my full-time salary, our part-time editor, health insurance, web hosting services, and more.
Donate to Help Us Cover Workers Fighting Back
Workers, especially immigrants, are taking a beating and it’s easy to be discouraged because the mainstream media isn’t showing how people are protesting in record numbers. This is why we need non-corporate news more than ever.
Fenway Park Workers Strike
As the Dodgers come to Boston to play the Red Sox, concessions workers at Fenway Park, members of UNITE HERE Local 26, are on strike, urging fans to not buy any concessions at the park.
"This isn’t just a labor issue. It’s a community issue. It’s about whether the people who serve the hot dogs, pour the beer, and welcome the fans can afford to keep living in the city we love,” the union said in a statement. “It’s about ensuring Fenway Park continues to be a place of pride — not just for baseball, but for how it treats the people who make it special.”
The Pitt TV Series Production Assistants Unionize
In May, Payday Report did an in-depth look at how production assistants and other entry-level TV and film jobs are beginning to unionize. (See our story “22,000 Entertainment Workers Have Unionized in 2 Years Since Writers Guild Strike”)
Now, production assistants are unionizing with Production Assistants United on the hit HBO Max show The Pitt, depicting an understaffed emergency room in Pittsburgh. It’s the most high-profile show, where Production Assistants have sought to unionize.
“This is the first time ever that we can say PAs and assistants are unionizing on a show like this in film and TV,” Production Assistants United organizer Ethan Ravens told Hollywood Reporter. “It’s huge.”
For more, check out Hollywood Reporter.
IATSE Rallies to Defend Immigrant Member Detained by ICE
Finally, IATSE Local 15 in Seattle is rallying to defend Fernando Rocha, who was detained while attending a routine immigration check-in.
“Fernando has been a valued worker with IATSE Local 15, dedicating his skilled labor and knowledge both behind the scenes and onstage to bring art, theater, and live events to life in the Puget Sound area,” IATSE said on a GoFundMe to support his legal needs. “As a Performing Arts Center Manager at Juanita High School, Fernando worked tirelessly so that students and audiences could enjoy the magic of performance. But now, his life and future have been thrown into chaos.”
So far, IATSE has raised more than $26,000 to support his legal defense. You can donate here.
Alright folks, that’s all for today. Keep sending comments, tips, complaints, and ideas to melk@paydayreport.com
Love & Solidarity,
Melk
