The New York herald., 1922-04-21
NEW EQUITY ORDER
MAY MEAN STRIKE
Association Tells Actors Not
to Make Contracts Running
Beyond June, 1924.
TO SHOW UNITED 'FRONT.'
President of Managers Says
the Instructions Will Work
Harm to the Players.
TO SHOW UNITED FRONT

The Actors Equity Association is pre-
pairing a long time in advance for an
other possible contingency like the
strike three years ago, as soon as their
present agreement with the managers
preventing a strike has lapsed. 1t was
learned yesterday that the association
has sent out notices to all its deputies
10 instruct Equity members that they
should not hereafter accept a contract
binding them beyond June. 1924.
This notice has already been posted
on the billboards of most of the big
theaters throughout the country. As
sent out by Paul Dulzell. assistant ex-
ecutive secretary. 1t runs:
"At the last council meeting rec
ommendation of the executive commit
tee was adopted. IL reads as follows: !:
That all members be informed that they
enter into no contracts that call for
their services or bind them in any way
beyond June /. 1924 We are not an
ticipating anything. but we want our
members to be free of entangling con-
tracts when the present agreement with
the managers expires. With both sides
free to act, greater consideration and
headway can be given to any new ar.
rangement.
June, 1924. will be the end OF the last
season during which the Producing
Managers Association will be protected
against the enforcement of the Equity
shop. The agreement that ended the
strike in 1919. which was to run five
years and expressly forbade the estab-
lishment of the Equity shop against any
p. NJ. A. members or the calling OF a
strike, will end in September 1924. the
ms n no
Frank Gilmore when asked last night
IL this contract notification foreshadowcd
- strike, said:
Let us say trouble rather than
STRIKE The instruction is simply SO
that united front may be presented
when we deal with the managers for a
new arrangement. We. don't want any
complications. because some members
may not be free. AS a matter of fact.
We do not anticipate any trouble. We
now have the Independent managers
conforming TO the Equity shop, and in
a couple of years we do not anticipate
there win be any real opposition on the
part of the Producing Managers Asso-
citation to the Equity shop. AS a matter
OF fact. however. we are not committed
to establishing the Equity shop every
where by that time. We merely want
to be prepared
Sam III. Harris. president OF the Man
ayers Association, expressed the con-
viction that this notice betokened a
strike. He declared that such instruc-
tons would hurt Equity members and
would begin to harm them in 1928, a full
year before any strike might be called.
IF produce show i'm 1923 he said,
spending $4,000 to $4,000 on it and fig
uring that it would run for more than
year. here and on the road, l certainly
wouldn't be likely to hire any Equity
actors, particularly for the leading
roles. l should be afraid that when the
next June came they would leave me. l
imagine other managers would feel the
same way. ard lot OF actors will be
out of jobs. Certainly / think Wen all
go very slowly about producing new
shows In 1928.
II can't see why they need a closed
shop, as conditions in the theater stand
now Personally I'm in favor of one
big association of actors-but not one
with a club behind it,"
During the past season the Equity
has been vigorously instituting the
Equity shop among managers all over
the country who are not affiliated with
the P. NJ. A. Reports to Mr.. Gilmore
recently show that stock companies
throughout the United States are now
virtually 100 per cent Equity.