As an event planner, you may occasionally run into a unionized venue, and if you plan to bring in your own third-party audiovisual company, that can pose a problem. While many unionized venues will allow this, they may require “shadow labor,” which many people aren’t familiar with—or have the wrong idea of what it is all together. In this blog, we’ll explain what a shadow labor fee is, how to work with shadow labor—and how to possibly work around it!
What is Shadow Labor?
Does shadow labor leave you confused? You’re not alone. Today, there are a variety of forms of shadow labor, sometimes called shadow work. For example, when an individual accepts a new job, they may be required to “shadow” other employees for a few days or a few weeks to get an idea of how the company operates and what their day-to-day work entails.
There’s also shadow labor, as it pertains to a unionized venue. It’s important to understand that this is not the same as a venue with a union contract. Some venues may have a contract with a particular union, such as the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) or the New York Hotel Trades Council (NYHTC), which represents AV technicians and others in the event production industry. In these instances, event planners have their hands tied; they must work with the venue’s unionized staff, even if it’s going to cost them significantly more and require them to work within some very strict union rules and regulations—or face steep penalties.
On the other hand, some venues themselves are unionized. The difference is that in these instances, you can likely still bring in your own third-party vendor with the caveat that a shadow labor force is included in the bill.
Unionized Venue Shadow Work Explained
If you choose to bring a third-party audiovisual or event productions vendor into a unionized venue, you’re viewed as taking a job opportunity from the venue’s unionized team. To make up for that, you’ll be expected to pay shadow labor fees. Basically, unionized individuals will remain on-premise and shadow the third-party team you’ve hired. This is often on a one-to-one basis; for example, if you’ve brought in two lighting guys, two union lighting guys will be shadowing. Generally, the shadowing individual is required to receive the same amount of pay as the hired individual, and often their rate of pay is double that of vendors, even though they may be doing very little or no work. As you can see, this can nearly double your labor bill.
How One Way Event Productions Works with Shadow Labor
Many event planners have their heart set on a particular venue, but don’t want to pay the high cost of using a unionized venue’s team or the shadow labor force. They may also want an external vendor that has proven results and experience. If this sounds like you, One Way Event Productions may be the answer! When you bring us in to do a job at a unionized venue, if the union ratio is one-to-one and we know setup will require 10 technicians, we will only bring in five technicians and use the five shadowing technicians required by the union to save you money on shadow labor fees.
We’re also skilled at working with event planners and the unionized venue to negotiate an affordable quote despite these added fees. If you’re choosing a unionized venue, it’s always a good idea to at least give an external AV company like One Way Event Productions a shot at negotiations, as it could save you thousands in the long run. We know that hotel venues make more money off of room rentals and food & beverage than an AV commission, so we’re often able to get them to reconsider their shadow labor fees if it’s hinted at that they’ll lose the business entirely.
Hosting an Event?
If you’re putting on an event, we recommend finding your audiovisual vendor before you find your venue. We get it; you like to start with the venue. However, this way can ultimately cost you a lot more money—and give you a lot more headaches. At One Way Event Productions, our team of experts will help you navigate AV fees and negotiate pricing to get a better deal, even if the venue is unionized and requires shadow labor. Contact us today to help you put on a flawless event.
