Stagehands on Strike at LA Forum: Faithful Central Bible Church, the Forum’s Owner, Won't Meet with Local 33

      Support IATSE 33 Stagehands On Strike at the LA Forum

Join Forum stagehands, janitors, and building engineers in fighting for middle class jobs in Inglewood. They are on strike after the venue's new management cut wages by up to 33%. Join them on Thursday, Aug. 31 and Friday, Sept. 1 outside the LA Forum as they reach out to the Red Hot Chili Peppers to help them in their fight.

The workers are asking the Red Hot Chili Peppers to support them by telling the Forum management that they will not return to the Forum unless this labor dispute is fairly resolved. They would also like the band to acknowledge the workers who will be on the picket line outside during the show.

After 39 years at the Forum, more than 120 workers now find themselves on the sidewalk after having their wages and benefits slashed. For years the Forum worked with the unions, bringing good, middle class jobs to the community.

Join us on the picket line:
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Thurs., Aug. 31 and Fri., Sept. 1
5:30 – 8 pm

Inglewood Forum
3900 West Manchester Blvd
Inglewood, CA  90305

Send a Letter of Support to the LA Forum

For information call on parking instructions:
 (818) 841-9233

Visit justiceattheforum.com


Madonna, in this car, crosses the picket line at the LA Forum.

Madonna crosses the picket line at the LA Forum in InglewoodAfter more than two years of negotiations, Faithful Central Bible Church’s bargaining agent forced steep cuts on Forum workers. Wages were cut more than 30 percent. Workable hours were also slashed.

Over 120 Workers on Sidewalk at Forum After 39 Years of Service

Visit the Justice at the Forum website for full details about the lockout at the LA Forum in Inglewood, CA.

IA 33 Stagehands Need Your Help! Here's 6 Things You Can Do:

Replacement workers for the LA Forum are bussed in on a Faithful Central Bible Church bus.1) Fax a letter of support to Faithful Central Bible Church, urging a just resolution to this dispute.

2) Urge your friends and co-workers to fax a letter to the Church.

3) Download a flyer, print it, and share it with your coworkers. We also have a flyer with a more spiritual message for you to share. You will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader to download and print the files.

4) Call Bishop Ulmer at the church directly at (310) 330-8000 and tell him you support the stagehands.

5) Email the Church's Prayer Committee and ask them to pray for a just resolution at prayerteam@faithfamily.org.

6) Download, print, and mail (or distribute) this letter to the Faithful Central Bible Church congregation.

Stagehands, Janitors on the Sidewalk at Great Western Forum
Faithful Central Bible Church, the Forum's Owner, Won't Meet with Stagehands, Janitors

SMG, the multimillion-dollar corporate bargaining agent hired by Faithful Central Bible Church to manage the Forum, has taken a brazenly anti-union stance.

SEIU 1877 janitors were among the first to take the hit. SMG terminated the service contract with AMG (the janitors’ employer) -- after 39 years.

Not content with more than two years of negotiations, SMG then locked veteran stagehands out of their jobs. IA Local 33 members, eager to return to work, have been left on the sidewalk as replacement workers are brought in on church buses. Despite promises to meet with the workers, Bishop Ulmer has yet to do so.

IA 33 and SEIU 1877 have joined forces in their struggle for a just resolution. To bring Bishop Ulmer to the table, they’ve begun a joint campaign. Picket lines are up at the Forum, flyers are being distributed, and the public outreach will only grow from here. To find out how you can support your union brothers and sisters, call Jim Wright at 818-941-9233 today! Keep checking this site for updates.

Press and Blog Coverage:

Full coverage is available at the Justice at the Forum website.

Forum Lockout: Life Beyond the Madonna Pickets? from LA Voice

What would Jesus negotiate? in the LA Times by Erin Aubrey Kaplan

Desperately Seeking Stagehands at City Beat

Madonna crosses picket lines for best-selling concert tours from Zee News

A not so damp Sunday afternoon and Somehow I never see it coming from Peggy Archer's Totally Unauthorized.

Well, she IS the Material Girl from LAist

Forum Union Lockout: Let's Picket Madonna! From LaVoice.org

Stagehands Will Picket As Madonna Kicks Off Tour from CBS 2

KABC news story about Madonna crossing the picket line (video link requires media player)

Erin Aubry Kaplan: Labor vs. the Lakers' old lair from the Los Angeles Times

 

 

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