Australian Theatrical and Amusement Employees' Association

The Australian Theatrical and Amusement Employees' Association was an Australian trade union which existed between 1910 and 1993.[2] It represented a wide range of workers employed in the entertainment industry in Australia.

ATAEA
Full nameAustralian Theatrical and Amusement Employees' Association
Founded1910
Date dissolved1993
Merged intoMedia, Entertainment and Arts Alliance
Members13,700 (1991)[1]
AffiliationACTU, ALP
CountryAustralia

Coverage

The ATAEA represented employees in a diverse range of non-performing occupations in the entertainment industry. These included film projectionists, ushers, ticket sellers, film crew, stagehands, racecourse, sports ground and amusement park staff.[1]

Formation

While a state-based union may have existed in Victoria during the late 19th century, the union first achieved federal registration in 1910 as the Australian Federated Stage Employees' Association.[2] The union underwent several name changes before finally settling on its final title in 1915.[2] The ATAEA originally only represented stagehands, but over time, and with technological change, it widened its membership base to cover much of the entertainment industry in Australia.[1]

Amalgamation

Due to the difficulties of servicing a widely-spread membership, and following ACTU policy of the time, the ATAEA began seeking an amalgamation of unions representing the entertainment and media industry in Australia during the early 1990s.[1] This decision, however, along with political and generational differences, caused division between the national office of the union and the Queensland branch.[1] This animosity developed until the Queensland branch split away from the federal union in 1991, and later merged with the Australian Workers' Union in Queensland.[1] The rest of the union merged with the Australian Journalists' Association and Actors' Equity in 1993 to form the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA).[2] The ATAEA continues to exist as a distinct section within the MEAA, and had 3045 members as of 2011.[3]

References
  1. Michelson, Grant (1999). "Breakaway union: a study of the Australian entertainment industry". Economic and Labour Relations Review. 10 (1): 126–148. doi:10.1177/103530469901000108. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  2. Bruce A. Smith. "Australian Trade Union Archives". Trade Union Entry:Australian Theatrical & Amusement Employees Association. Australian Trade Union Archives. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  3. "Capacity Building". 2010-11 Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance Annual Report. Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance: 17. 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
  • alliance.org.au The website of the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, the successor to the ATAEA.
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