Broadway Workers, Union Leaders and Elected Officials rallied in Times Square earlier this week as part of the National AFL-CIO’s It’s Better in a Union: Fighting for Freedom, Fairness & Security nationwide bus tour.

Actors’ Equity President Brooke Shields, Executive Director Al Vincent, Jr., New York City AFL-CIO Central Labor Council President Brendan Griffith, New York State AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento, IATSE President Matthew Loeb, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and others joined Equity Members as they prepare to head into negotiations with The Broadway League next week.

But before heading to Times Square, National AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler joined Union Members for an accountability rally to call out U.S. Representatives Mike Lawler for his vote to pass disastrous cuts to critical programs and investments. Hudson Valley Union Members and Leaders gathered in Croton Point Park, in the heart of New York’s 17th Congressional District, to highlight how Lawler failed to advance the Protect America’s Workforce Act - and thereby harmed the Working People he represents. Said Shuler said what Lawler has done “rips away food from our children and our seniors, guts funding from our schools, that our hospitals need (and) gives tax cuts to billionaires instead of Working Families who are struggling to keep a roof over their heads.”

On Wednesday, the bus tour arrived at Times Square for a rally with Actors’ Equity Association President Shields as Equity Members gear up for contract negotiations with the Broadway League. Broadway Actors and Stage Managers want improved scheduling, better sick coverage and secure health care they deserve. “Every Working Person deserves a fair deal at work. We need reasonable schedules, protection when we get hurt,” Shields said, adding she had torn her meniscus and still danced on it for three months. “Our Stage Managers don’t have swings. They get sick, they have to still come to work. It’s too much. We need safer staffing practices. We need safer staffing practices. We need fair share money going into our health insurance.”

For More On This Labor News Report, Go To:  Brooke Shields, Actors' Equity Rally Ahead of New Broadway Contract

Photo Collage Courtesy Of The National AFL-CIO.