Ubangi Club Owners Defy Theatre Union Contract
May 22, 1943
p. 24
Proprietors of the Ubangi Club, located on B’way near 52d st, continue the age-old practice of unfair treatment to performers, it even holds a contract with the American Guild of Variety Artists and the entire show is unionized.
The contract calls for a minimum salary of $30 for chorus girls with no deductions for any purpose with the exception of taxes or withholdings provided by law. But instead of abiding by this contract, these employers have set their minimum salary at $25 with a bonus of $5 contingent on a long set of rules.
RULES AND REGULATIONS
Some of the Simon-Legree rules to be strictly adhered to in order to earn this bonus are:
- be on time for work (five minutes late forfeits bonus);
- don’t stand near cash register;
- be correctly dressed on floor (shoes untied, no bonus);
- No loitering in kitchen (must go through kitchen to get to ladies’ room);
- be on time for numbers (many times principals cut specialties not leaving enough time for costume changes);
- don’t talk on the floor.
In addition to these “don’ts”, if a girl is sick and takes the night off, she not only does not get the $5 bonus, but is docked $3 to boot, making a total loss of $8 for the night. And on the other hand, if any part of the show is missed, $5 bonus, plus $1 is deducted from her pay and she still works the remainder of the show.
These conditions are untenable and I hereby set down these flagrant violations for the information of AGVA so that they in turn might put a stop to them. And to the chorus girls I say, prepare yourselves for a fight to the finish some of you losing your jobs if necessary. Remember, the union, the paper nor anyone else can make your conditions better if you yourself, don’t do your part.