Actors' Equity and American Federation of Musicians Local 802 Endorse Biden/Harris

Actors' Equity Association and the American Federation of Musicians Local 802 are the latest theatrical organizations to endorse Vice President Joseph Biden and Senator Kamala Harris for the 2020 presidential election.

AFM Local 802 represents the thousands of musicians who drive the cultural economy in New York City. Its members are seen on Broadway, at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, and in hotels, late-night television shows, festivals, and other venues across the five boroughs. Actors' Equity Association is the labor union representing American actors and stage managers in the theater, both in New York and across the country.

The Local 802 Executive Board made the following statement in August: "The professional music community needs a robust recovery of the economy and the arts, but we also need strong investments in the nation's healthcare and pension systems, a strengthening of labor laws that protect the rights of all working people, and — more than ever — a country committed to mutual respect. We need a president who affirms that Black Lives Matter and an administration that fights for the rights of women, immigrants, people of color and all Americans. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are the candidates who are clear, obvious choices to move our country forward. We enthusiastically endorse the Democratic ticket in the 2020 election and call on our members to help get out the vote!"

"Equity fights for the right to a safe workplace, but at every turn, Donald Trump has worked to undermine workers' rights," said Mary McColl, executive director of Actors' Equity Association. "From gun control to Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ rights, he has stood against protections our members not only support but need to survive. It is not too late. We can instead elect Vice President Biden, who in his decades long career in public service has shown time and time again his belief that labor unions are key to a strong middle class."