Two Broadway union leaders, alongside the president of SAG-AFTRA, issued a statement on workplace harassment and bullying Monday, in the wake of allegations made against producer Scott Rudin.
In the statement, Actors’ Equity Association President Kate Shindle, American Federation of Musicians Local 802 President Adam Krauthamer and SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris said the unions would hold perpetrators of workplace harassment accountable for their actions and urged employers to do the same.
Though the statement does not name Rudin, it alludes to the allegations of harassment and workplace intimidation former assistants told the Hollywood Reporter they experienced while working for Rudin.
A few members of the Broadway community, including actor Amber Iman, have spoken out about the allegations. However, the statement from the union leaders marks the first time organizations within the industry have addressed the story.
Full statement:
“Every worker deserves to do their job in an environment free of harassment of any kind, whether that harassment creates a toxic workplace or, certainly in the case of sexual harassment, when that behavior is also against the law.
“All harassment is not only detrimental to the health and welfare of workers, but also a serious threat to the proper functioning of a company. Thus, every corporate Board of Directors should be deeply alarmed by credible reports of long-standing, repeated violent and aggressive harassing behavior by individuals who hold high positions within a company or on a production and exercise management power over subordinates. Workers who come forward to blow the whistle in these situations are incredibly brave and we applaud their courage.
“No worker should be subjected to bullying or harassment, whether or not they are a union member. Over the past several years, our nation has finally begun to reckon seriously with harassment of all forms in the entertainment industry and beyond. As organizations representing more than 200,000 members in the arts, entertainment and media, we unreservedly condemn workplace harassment in all its forms. We pledge to work together, and with other allies, to hold accountable those who violate human and legal norms of fair, respectful and dignified conduct in the workplace.
“We demand action on the part of our corporate counterparts to swiftly address credible allegations of harassment.”
