Building scenery for diverse entertainment and industry projects, and growing momentum for worker-friendly policies.

In Partnership With:  IATSE

Building momentum for worker-friendly policies

Don McGuire started McGuire Scenic 14 years ago to provide theatrical scenery for local performances and national traveling shows. Since then, the business has evolved and diversified, supplying scenery for theatres, conferences, trade shows, and events. While McGuire can boast of working with top-tier clients across the country like Cisco Systems, the Ordway Theatre in St. Paul, and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the company is most proud of its record of giving men and women good jobs.

McGuire’s commitment to its workers, who are represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, inspires deep loyalty. In fact, several employees of McGuire Scenic have been with the company since it was founded. McGuire contributes to each employee’s pension welfare fund, provides health insurance, and pays higher wages than non-union design companies. McGuire understands the sacrifice its employees and their families make during the long hours it takes to get the job done and compensates for it, paying overtime wages for early or late shifts and for work on holidays.

The returns of having a union workforce are extensive, both for the staff and McGuire Scenic itself. The union has helped hone the specialized skills required for scenic design work, including offering forklift and carpentry training that minimizes safety hazards and increases productivity. This union advantage is one reason traveling Broadway shows use McGuire Scenic: they know hiring union contractors results in superior performance and safety.

Don McGuire believes that openness and respect are keys to a successful labormanagement partnership. “We try to keep it all open here, so there are no issues. If we know and follow the rules, which are fair, and if everyone stays in those boundaries, union and management can work together with no problems.”

As an employer, Don McGuire supports the Employee Free Choice Act so more working men and women can have the same rights and opportunities as his employees. “The benefits for employees and their families are far greater than benefits associated with non-union jobs,” says McGuire. “All workers should have a chance at forming a union because they are treated better.” When more workers can freely form unions, more companies will enjoy the benefits of a skilled, loyal workforce—an asset that McGuire Scenic knows firsthand.