Evening star., 1924-05-12
SOME ACTORS FEAR
TRAGEDIES IN STRIKE
Equity Shop Struggle Promises
to Be Bitter When It Is
Started on June l.
NON-UNION RATIO FIXED
Big Stars Receive Special Treat
ment as to Membership.
BY consolidated Press.

BY ConSolida ted Press.
NEW YORK, May 10.-The age-old
struggle of capital and labor has
gripped the American theater again.
And, in true capital and labor fash
ion, names are being called and
charges and counter charges are fly
iug through the air
Some of the managers are saying
that the actors and actresses who
belong to the union are affiliated
with the butcheries of Los Angeles
and Herrn." These were strong
words, mates. and they were not to
he tolerated by the actors who carry
card. They have come back with
the statement that To affiliate with
the American Federation of Labor is
an honor for any Thespian. They
hotly resent the idea that atiiliatiOn
wiki organized labor means joining
forces with outlaws and anarchists"
Some of the stars have been made
to say the same things about their
fellow actors VINO belong to the
union. At least the stars names We're
signed to such a statement. But Will
Margaret Anglin have rcpudiated the
statement, saying they never heard
of such a thing in all their lives.
Faversham showed his resentment of
the attacks on the Actors Union by
promptly joining it
A. to Stars status.
There always has been a question
in this strife between the union and
non-uniOn forces of the stage as to
whether or not the recognized stars
should be required to take out cards
and pay their dues along with the
hams and the "supeS'' and the
character" people who are capable
of classification.
1t has been the feeling of actors
generally that such lights of the
stage as Mrs. FiSke. David WarfieId,
j.. H. Sothern, Otis Skinner. Julia
Marlowe and others of their class
should be permitted to appear on the
same stage with the organized actors
of lesser illumination without en-
rolling in the union. They have even
agreed not to call them -'Soabs. -.
1t has been stipulated, however,
that there should be an arbitrary
limit set on the non union members
of east.
The tors call their union the Ac-
tors Equity Association. but it gen
orally is known by the shorter name,
Equity" There was cons derable
difficulty in fixing the exact ratio be
tween the union and non-union actors
stronger forces OF the union were
in favor of fixing a Nolstead ratio of
une-half of one per cent. More lib
eral heads prevailed, however and the
iInal ratio was set as 30 per cent
union to 20 per cent non-union.
The producing managers called this
an attempt to force the CLOSED shop"
upon them. The actors prefer to call
1t Equity shop" and they say they
Will not arbitrate Equity shop" any
more than the United States would
arbltrate the Monroe Doctrine.
Methods of the Union.
Regular union labor methods have
been provided in all of the Equity
demands, including ii slight modifca-
tion of the check off" system. which
organized labor requires in the union
lied coal mines of the country. In
tn" case of the actors, they require
that no manager shall employ an
Equity player unless that person pro-
duces receipt for his or her dues.
The difficulty Of collecting dues
always has been a problem in labor
organiZat ions.
The Equity also has required that
all non Equity players permitted in
a east shall be required by the man
ayers to contribute to some actors
charity an amount which would equal
the organization. All this the man
ayers as "a whole have agreed to do,
but 90 per cent of the producing man
ayers have absolutely refused to
agree TO the Equity shop plan, and
insist that they have a right to en-
gage such actors and actresses as
they please.
David Belasco has been particular
" bitter against the union. for he
still thinks of the playhouse as a
temple of art and Of actors as ar
fists. The players say Mr.. Be1asco
is dreamer. and that he ought to
wake up and hear the brides sing
They say they know how the stage is
being Commercialized and assert that
the modern composers and authors
work by the yard rather than by in
spiration.
Zero Hour.
In any event June / is the zero
hour" in the profession" There will
be a strike on that date against all
the managers who do not agree to
the closed shop as fixed by Equity.
The minority of the managers are
going to sign, but with the majority
the struggle has all the earmarks OF
being an extremely bitter one.
OF course, the country at large will
try to survive this latest peril in
the capital and labor quarrel, but to
many actors it may mean an approach
to tragedy. The union actors have all
the enthusiasm of new converts,
however, and say they will readily go
down to rags and starvation for the
sake of the principle involved.
Oats raised in the United States
constitute one-third of the total crop
- hnf ,y, e.sx-