Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Oregon Shakespeare Festival Workers Ratify First Contract

[Omaha Steve]

https://aflcio.org/2025/6/20/service-solidarity-spotlight-oregon-shakespeare-festival-workers-ratify-first-contract



Kenneth Quinnell and Sydney Roberts
June 20, 2025

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Box office and group sales workers at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) have unanimously ratified their first contract as members of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 154.

This is the latest victory for the local, which now represents workers in 18 different departments at the 90-year-old nonprofit theater, including facilities, costuming, front-of-house, concessions and more. It didn’t come easy though—during the contract fight, OSF management brought in a union-busting consultant and engaged in regressive bargaining. But IATSE members refused to back down, taking their contract fight public to pressure OSF to do the right thing. And now, they’re enjoying a contract that guarantees minimum hours, rest days, just-cause termination, recall rights and a cell phone stipend, among other wins.

“Our Box Office workers are resilient, hardworking people who deserve a fair contract. After nine months of negotiations, they secured working protections that were actively being threatened,” said Breena Cope, IATSE Local 154 business agent. “We are proud to represent the box office workers under the Local 154 banner. Every worker at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival is valuable, and each of them deserves to have their work represented by a strong union contract.”