Employee portal
First Avenue Local 17
Union resources, updates, and contacts for First Avenue workers.
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Our bargaining unit will be renegotiating our contract in 2027 - What would you like to see? (Give feedback here)
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Employee resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Dues, seniority, venue questions, and time off.
Document Library
Agreements, bylaws, seniority, and safety plans.
Union Contacts
Find stewards, officers, and union staff.
Staff Calendar
See shows and community events.
Have a show or shows you'd like other friends to know about? Text Cara with your preferred email address and she will add you to the group calendar so you may add your events!
Our story
Why We Unionized
Welcome to the First Avenue Union webpage.
Our union began as a grassroots effort among workers and grew to represent front-of-house employees across the venues.
Before we unionized, front-of-house workers were paid minimum wage, including people who had worked here for 10 years or more. We wanted a workplace where experience mattered, where workers had a voice, and where the people who help make these venues what they are had meaningful protections on the job.
Recently, a newly hired worker asked management about the union and was told, essentially, “Yes, that means you have to pay to work here.”
Union members do pay dues. But that’s only part of the story.
That newly hired worker is starting at $2–$3 more per hour than minimum wage. As they build years of service, they will build seniority rights. They have a grievance and arbitration process to protect them when workplace problems arise. They receive their schedule two weeks in advance so they can plan their lives outside of work. And they have a collective voice in the conditions of their employment.
Those things didn’t simply happen. Workers organized, negotiated, and won them together.
That’s the rest of the story.
That’s why we unionized.
Recent updates
Union Wins
- 15-Minute breaks will be honored to match the change in state law for 2026.
- Management has walked back on their interpretation of 24 shifts worked per venue vs any venue to maintain seniority.
- Please note you have to work 24 shifts a year to keep seniority. Or you move to the bottom of the list if not fulfilled.
- Heaters for door staff have been implemented at The Entry, Fine Line, and The Fitzgerald Theater!
- Parking coupons!