| CREW 1 PRODUCTIONS |
| CREW 1 PRODUCTIONS Atlanta Office They treat their stage hands like dirt. No respect, poor wages and a very dangerous work environment, Atlanta, Geo |
| 21st of Jun, 2011 by User939842 |
I have been in the show business industry since 1985, mainly working with local unions
like I.A.T.S.E. where you were treated with respect, dignity & had a feeling of being a part of a brotherhood of techs who cared about and loved their jobs. We also always received excellent pay for our time. Upon moving to the Atlanta area, I found Ga was a "right to work" state with a very weak union presence. I got hired as a sub with CREW 1 and did great work for them, but found them to be a very unprofessional group of con artists who take the same rates of pay that the union would get and instead of paying their people what they are worth, they only pay apx 1/2 of what union scale is. This I can deal with as I can take the job or not, but my issue is when you do work they treat you like a piece of crap on their shoe. They show a profound dis respect for the very work force that makes them $$$ show after show. They yell at everyone and constantly threaten people with not having work to keep them in line, taking advantage of the job situation in this country. If this wasn't enough, I have worked several shows for them where safety was NOT a matter of concern for their crew, just work as fast as you can... or get out! Theater work can be extremely dangerous and certain protocols are always observed to keep everyone safe.... except at CREW 1 Productions apparently. In the union, you would get written up if you tried to lift something that could cause injury.
In CREW 1, your brow beat to "getter done" with complete disregard for safety or potential injury. I personally witnessed to guys being told by CREW 1 staff to move a carpet roll weighing 400 lbs. This is obviously a job for a fork lift (which is right there) or at the very least have 4 men on that piece. This same show, Kenny Chesney in Atlanta... I witnessed a female stage hand come very close to being crushed by a video wall weighing several tons as no one bothered to follow safety protocol to be sure no one was in harm's way. This company is making money hand over fist, stealing the lion's share of the profits for itself while treating the very people that make their company successful like dirt. Part of the scam is they have you hire on a "sub contractor". This means that if you get injured on the job, and do not have insurance... YOUR SCREWED!
None of these workers have insurance because they do not make enough $$$ to pay for it!!
See recent story below: Injured StageHand Not Covered!!!Hey Now:
I'm the injured guy's father, his name is Rigel Piper. He just got out of ICU today. They removed his spleen, his lung collapsed. He has broken ribs, pelvis and skull bones as well as the broken wrist. Anyone that thinks he just had a cut lip and broken wrist is seriously mistaken. Rigel was on life support for the first 2 days, they didn't know whether he was going to make it. Fortunately, Rigel is a strong young man and is starting to recover, though he has a hard road ahead.
Now on top of that, I'm finding that he isn't covered by worker's comp or anything. And his employer is saying that he was a temporary employee so he isn't covered by insurance either. He has wanted to do this kind of work most of his life. Rigel was hired as ground crew, and was given an opportunity to go up the tower and went for it, when he fell. Rigel is stuck in a hospital in Brownsville. He was living in and traveled from Albuquerque for the job. He can't work and support himself while he recuperates. We don't know what to do.
Rigel is currently at Valley Regional Hospital in Brownsville.
I am open to suggestions...
A Michael Piper This issue is an earmark to the sad state of affairs that exists in the US today, and CREW 1 is at the top of the list of bottom feeders exploiting American workers. |
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| Really sorry to hear about Rigel Piper. Hope he mends soon and is able to work in our profession again. I worked with Crew 1 (Screw 1) when I first got to Atlanta in the 90's. It didn't take long to see what a horrible company they were/are. Poverty wages, no benefits, no health care, no breaks, just load 'em in and load 'em out as fast as possible. No concern for safety because you are replaceable. And if you sell drugs, you're on the fast track to regular employment. Crew 1, in collusion with Live Nation, keep Union workers out of all the venues they control. They work the largest venues, Lakewood, Phillips Arena, Verizon Wireless, and pay the lowest wages. The Local Union works smaller venues like The Fox, and the Civic Center and with the Atlanta Opera and Ballet at Cobb Energy Center, and earns twice what Crew 1 pays, plus an annuity for retirement, and a health care plan. Plus the Crew 1 workers are not only "independent contractors", but must pay taxes on a 1099. So if you earn $10.00 an hour, after you pay your own taxes, you're down to about $7.50 an hour. And if you don't understand your on a 1099, and don't pay, when the IRS catches up, your really screwed. The workers at Crew 1 really need to wise up and get organized with the Local IATSE before they all end up like Mr. Piper, or worse. Demand better pay, demand better safety, demand health care, demand breaks, demand respect, Crew 1 can afford all this. They charge Live Nation the same amount that union workers earn per hour, then pocket half that or more. My advise to Mr. Piper and his father, get a good Workman's comp. lawyer, and sue the hell out of Crew 1. No one deserves it more! ATL Union Brother |
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