Do you know Local One Stagehand, John Martinez? If not, you should. Martinez is the House Carpenter for Circle in the Square Theatre on Broadway in New York, New York. He is a dedicated IATSE member and says unions have played a key part in his family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy Mexican culture correlates with the Sisterhood and Brotherhood of IATSE, because just like my family, we are all one,\u201d says Martinez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1965 John\u2019s grandfather moved from Mexico to the United States and worked as a construction laborer for Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 362 for 43 years. His grandfather was the first Latino labor member in his Local. In addition, John\u2019s American grandfather was a member of United Auto Workers as well. He says his father then went on to become a Business Agent for LIUNA in San Antonio, Texas, and this is where John was introduced to the world of theatre and IATSE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a blast to be able to work doing something you love, so the work doesn\u2019t feel like a job. The thing about working in entertainment is, even when you\u2019re working on the same show more than once, you\u2019re never doing the same thing twice,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
John shares the proudest moment in his career was getting his current position at Circle in the Square Theatre. \u201cI am half-Mexican. Throughout my experience there have not been many people in supervisory positions who look like me. When other BIPOC members see me in this leadership role, it gives them a sense of opportunity,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, who is John Martinez? He is a proud first-generation American, third-generation union member and dedicated to the work he\u2019s been able to contribute to his Local\u2019s Social Justice Committee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Do you know Local One Stagehand, John Martinez? If not, you should. Martinez is the House Carpenter for Circle in the Square Theatre on Broadway in New York, New York. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":6621,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[36],"yoast_head":"\n