The Department of Professional Employees, AFL-CIO, which includes a dozen unions in the entertainment industry, has set its policy agenda for the 118th Congress, focusing on creating diverse talent pipelines, promoting diversity in hiring and strengthening the workplace rights of creative professionals who are focused.
“The unions in the arts, entertainment and media industries remain committed to diversity, equality and inclusion,” said DPE President Jennifer Dorning. “The updated DEI policy agenda for the 118th Congress empowers creative union professionals to build on gains in collective bargaining that create more inclusive, representative industries.”
However, Dorning told Deadline that achieving those goals in this Congress — with a Republican majority in the House of Representatives and a narrow Democratic majority in the Senate — will not be an easy task.
“It’s definitely going to be a challenge. We see that,” she said. “But we see this as a long-term investment on our part and our partners to bring about systemic change. So we don’t expect to get everything we want right away. We are definitely in it for the long term, and we will work hard to bring about change.”
The adoption of the Law on the Protection of the Right to Organize (PRO) is a top priority for the DPE, although it is still a long way from legislation. Recently reintroduced in Congress, “This is the No. 1 priority of the labor movement and we will continue to push for approval,” Michael Wasser, the DPE’s legislative director, told Deadline. “I think we’re all realistic about the dynamics in this Congress, but that doesn’t mean we stop trying.”
The pro bill would significantly expand several health and safety measures related to workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively. Among other things, it would permit collective agreements to require that all workers represented by the bargaining entity contribute to the organization of work toward the cost of such representation, notwithstanding state laws to the contrary; Expands unfair labor practices to include prohibitions on substitution and discrimination against striking workers, and requiring or forcing workers to attend employer meetings to discourage union membership.
But passing the Performing Artists Tax Parity Act may be the most doable this Congress, Dorning said. “We thought we’d get it in the last Congress, and there’s a lot of bipartisan support for this bill. So we are optimistic that we can do it by the 118th Congress,” he said.
It would restore tax breaks for work-related expenses, update the qualifying artist deduction and modernize a provision that has been on the books since it was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s. The provision would allow medium-sized entertainment operators to deduct general business expenses.
Other legislation on DPE’s policy agenda includes the passage of the American Music Fairness Act and the CROWN (Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) Act, reform of Section 512 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and the establishment of a federal labor tax incentive , which will promote greater inclusion.
“The arts, entertainment and media industries are becoming more diverse and inclusive thanks to the efforts of union professionals at the bargaining table and in the halls of power,” said Dorning. “However, we recognize that this work is not yet complete, which is why we remain committed to finding smart policy solutions that advance the creative industries and empower creative professionals from historically marginalized communities to realize the full value of their skills and abilities. talents.”
Unions supporting DPE’s diversity, equality and inclusion agenda include:
Actors Equity Association
American Federation of Musicians
American Guild of Musical Artists
American Guild of Variety Artists
Director Guild of America
Guild of Italian-American Actors
IATSE
International Brotherhood of Electricians
International Union of Clerks and Professionals
GENTLY DRIVING
Society for Stage Directors and Choreographers
WGA East
Source: Deadline
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
