Our History
On June 17th, 1893, representatives of stagehands from eleven cities – New York, Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Brooklyn, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Denver, Philadelphia, Syracuse and Buffalo – met in New York to discuss improvements to their working conditions. As a result of that gathering, the National Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees was formed.
Within five years membership had doubled, and now included member locals from Canada as well. Thus, in 1902, recognizing that the Union was only going to continue to grow, the National Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees formally adopted to rename themselves the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, as we have been known ever since. There are now more than 375 local unions.
In 1894, a group of laborers decided to form a Rochester Theatrical Stage Employee Union. Since then, we have established a strong working relationship in the entertainment industry of Rochester and the Great Lakes Region of NY. As our community has gathered over the years in sporting events, concerts, and trade shows, our expertise has grown to support these functions. Local 25 represents quality, consistency and innovation in all that we do.
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Who we are
Rochester's Local 25 has evolved to cover a large community of people dedicated to all aspects of stagecraft, and we continue to serve the needs of the Finger Lakes region. We are the carpenters, riggers, electricians, audio and video professionals behind the scenes of many performances.
For over 100 years Local 25 has maintained a strong relationship with it's workers and venues. More recently we’ve participated in the production of big name shows such as Hamilton and Phantom of the Opera, and members have even worked on projects for Netflix. Our aim is to always strive to improve worker’s wages and benefits and assure fair treatment of members at the workplace.
It’s for this reason that Local 25 represents quality, consistency and innovation in all that we do.
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Further Reading:
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History of Local One: Birth of a Union - iatselocalone.org/
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Wikipedia: International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees
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