IATSE Local 26

What IATSE Local 26 does

IATSE Local 26 is a chartered local labor union of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), AFL-CIO/CLC, representing stagehands and entertainment technicians across West Michigan since its National Alliance charter on November 15, 1894. Headquartered at 931 Bridge St. NW in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the union operates with a small administrative staff (47 employees per the firmographic record) and serves a regional jurisdiction that encompasses Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Benton Harbor, Muskegon, and St. Joseph.

The union's core service is a job referral and dispatch operation: workers are placed on a Referral List and routed to productions through the CallSteward.com online platform based on seniority and availability. Members are trained across multiple crafts — lighting, audio, video, scenery, rigging, hair, makeup, wardrobe, and production management — through partnerships with the IATSE Training Trust Fund, LinkedIn Learning, and AVIXA. Local 26 supplies crews to anchor venues including Van Andel Arena, DeVos Hall, DeVos Place, FireKeepers Casino, Miller Auditorium, Frederik Meijer Gardens, and Broadway Grand Rapids, as well as to film productions and corporate events; a documented Tom Petty load-in at Van Andel Arena in 2008 involved approximately 100 Local 26 workers over roughly 10 hours.

Revenue is generated through member dues, per capita taxes, work dues, fines, and training fees, rather than through product or service sales. Go-to-market is event-driven: venues and producers request workers, and Local 26 dispatches from its referral list under collective bargaining agreements. Additional services include an online member portal with access to contracts and billing templates, a Resource Center for member training, and reciprocal referral arrangements with sister IATSE locals (274, 201, 395, 38) that allow members to take work across Michigan.

Name

IATSE Local 26

Legal name

IATSE Local 26

Website

https://iatse26.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1894

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IATSE Local 26 is a chartered labor union local representing stagehands and entertainment technicians across West Michigan since 1894. It dispatches trained crews via CallSteward.com to venues, theatres, arenas, casinos, and film productions, funded by member dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entertainment Labor Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Temporary Help Services (56132)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Help Supply Services (7363)

akta.pro primary industry

Crew & Labor Services (Production Staff, Unions, Payroll) (MPADAFAA)

Keywords

• Live entertainment staffing
• Stagehand labor services
• Theatrical production crew
• Event production technicians
• Union worker dispatch

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Member Dues: As a labor union, IATSE Local 26 generates revenue through membership dues paid by members and referents. The union also collects per capita taxes, work dues, fines, and training fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

IATSE Local 26 is a labor union local that dispatches trained union stagehands to entertainment venues and productions throughout West Michigan. Its primary service is a job referral and dispatch operation that places skilled lighting, audio, video, rigging, scenery, hair, makeup, wardrobe, and production management crew at concerts, Broadway tours, theatrical productions, sporting events, corporate events, and film shoots. The union also administers craft-specific training and continuing education for its members through the IATSE Training Trust Fund and partner platforms.

Product overview

IATSE Local 26 is a labor union (not a technology company) providing stagehand and entertainment industry worker services in West Michigan. Its core offerings include job referral/dispatch services via CallSteward.com, education and training programs in partnership with the IATSE Training Trust Fund and platforms like LinkedIn Learning and Avixa.com, a member portal with protected access to union documents, and a physical/digital Resource Center. The union's services support professionals in lighting, audio, video, scenery, rigging, hair, makeup, and wardrobe across venues including DeVos Hall, Van Andel Arena, and regional theaters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Job Referral and Crew Dispatch Service

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Broadway Grand RapidscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBringing all things Broadway to DeVos Performance Hall and West Michigan. Local 26 provides stagehands for their Broadway productions.
• Grand Rapids GriffinscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings, home games at VanAndel Arena. Local 26 provides crew for games and events.
• Opera Grand RapidsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProfessional opera company in Grand Rapids, MI with outreach programs at various other venues around Michigan.
• IATSE Training Trust FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between IATSE and Signatory Employers providing training opportunities for IATSE workers. Offers Safety First! courses, LinkedIn Learning partnerships, and AVIXA.com courses.
• LinkedIn LearningcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline continuing education program. IATSE workers are eligible for a discount subscription subsidized by the International through the Training Trust Fund.
• AVIXAcoreTechnology or IntegrationAudiovisual and Integrated Experience Association, producer of InfoComm tradeshows, and the international trade association representing the audiovisual industry. Provides online courses through IATSE Training Trust Fund partnership.
• CallSteward.comcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline dispatch system used to send workers to jobs. Local 26 uses this platform for their job referral and worker dispatch operations.
• AFL-CIO MichiganminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState federation of labor, with which IATSE Local 26 is affiliated.
• Sister IATSE Locals (274, 201, 395, 38)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking with sister locals in Lansing (Local 274), Flint (Local 201), Ann Arbor (Local 395), and Detroit (Local 38), members might find work in virtually every corner of the state and sometimes beyond.
• Union PlusminorOthersNational consumer benefit programs exclusively for union members and their families.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Actors' Equity Association: National labor union for stage actors and stage managers. Operates in the same live-entertainment labor ecosystem as IATSE Local 26, often signing joint collective bargaining agreements for theatrical productions, and represents the broader unionized entertainment workforce Local 26 supports.
• IATSE International (The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees): Parent international union overseeing all IATSE locals including Local 26. Manages Health & Welfare, Annuity, Pension, and Vacation funds, sets national training standards (IATSE Training Trust Fund), and negotiates master agreements — directly comparable as the umbrella organization Local 26 operates within.
• American Federation of Musicians (AFM): National labor union representing professional musicians. Operates alongside IATSE locals like Local 26 in live concert and theatrical productions, sharing the same unionized entertainment production environment and often appearing in the same venue call sheets.
• International Brotherhood of Teamsters - Stagecraft / Touring Division: Teamsters represent truck drivers, loaders, and logistics crews in the live entertainment industry. They perform adjacent (and sometimes overlapping) crew functions at concerts and tours alongside IATSE stagehands, making them a structurally comparable entertainment labor peer.

Others

• AVIXA (Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association): International trade association for the audiovisual industry and producer of InfoComm. Already a core training partner of IATSE Local 26 via the Training Trust Fund; sets industry certifications that credential Local 26's AV-skilled members and is a key enabler of Local 26's training moat.

Direct peers

• IATSE Local 201 (Flint): Sister IATSE local covering the Flint, Michigan area. Provides the same stagehand referral and dispatch services under IATSE's national structure, with mutual cooperation on out-of-jurisdiction work.
• IATSE Local 38 (Detroit): Sister IATSE local representing stagehands and entertainment technicians in the Detroit metropolitan area. Directly comparable craft mix (lighting, audio, video, rigging), dispatch model, and parent affiliation, serving as Local 26's primary Michigan counterpart for statewide cooperation.
• IATSE Local 395 (Ann Arbor): Sister IATSE local representing stagehands in Ann Arbor and surrounding Michigan counties. Operates the identical craft/referral structure and is explicitly identified by Local 26 as a sister local for member work opportunities.
• IATSE Local 274 (Lansing): Sister IATSE local covering Lansing, Michigan. Operates the same craft/referral structure as Local 26 for stagehands, with ongoing cross-jurisdictional cooperation referenced in Local 26's partnerships.

Emerging players

• USITT (United States Institute for Theatre Technology): Professional organization advancing knowledge of design, production, and technology in the performing arts. While not a labor union, USITT provides training and standards that overlap with Local 26's IATSE Training Trust Fund / AVIXA curriculum for stagehand certification.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iatse-local-26

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IATSE Local 26