IATSE Local 493

IATSE members of Locals 493 and 600 proudly stand in solidarity with Senator Dick Durbin. Durbin supports and is committed to the issues that matter to our IA Sisters and Brothers.

Our world is significantly diminished with the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Rest in peace as those who have fought the good fight for all of us should. It's a very sad day.

Just like the rest of this year, this Labor Day is quite different. No Labor Day Parade means no race to get the float done, no early morning gathering to get everything and everyone into position, no trip through the heart of St. Louis and then back to the shop to put it all away. We will miss the parade much more than the work to make it happen even though it is always worth that effort. We hope everyone enjoys the holiday and especially hope that those who work so hard ...each year to bring everything together for the parade enjoys their break from it this year. We also hope that it’s just for this year as we strongly want to see next year be at least a little closer to normal! Please take a few moments to remember those who came before us in Labor who struggled to get through oppressive conditions and gave us the eight-hour workday, weekends and this holiday. Remember that it was a time when strikes were considered riots, striking workers were considered anarchists, and management had no qualms about using company guards armed with clubs and firearms including Gatling Guns to break up a strike. Remember there is a reason collective bargaining was developed. Remember those times also included a pandemic as the Spanish Flu ravaged the world and that our current time may not really be that different. The workers who fought those battles before us got through it. They did not all survive and many of the martyrs of that time have been mostly forgotten. We encourage everyone to become better educated in the history of Labor and to remember those who fought so hard and gave so much that our world could be better. We remind everyone that those gains are tenuous, could easily be lost, and if lost will be a tremendous struggle to regain. We remind everyone that the first line of defense of worker’s rights is the ballot box, that you must be registered in order to vote, and that maintaining worker’s rights depends on workers voting for candidates who support working people and worker’s rights. We ask that all our workers register to vote, do honest research and cast your ballot in support of those candidates who support worker’s rights. Gordon Hayman, Business Representative IATSE Local 493

Members of Local 493 brought Democratic candidate for US House MO District 2 Jill Schupp, commercial shoot all the way home!