Tony Khan and AEW are facing protests over fair wages among IATSE union stagehands inside Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena.
AEW/Lee South
AEW has arrived in Philadelphia just in time to deal with union protests over wages.
The upstart promotion begins its seven-show residency in the famed 2300 Arena, beginning with Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, but IATSE Local 8 members are now challenging the promotion’s “substandard wages and benefits.”
The complaint went on to claim that “neither AEW nor the 2300 Arena has signed a collective bargaining agreement with any IATSE Local for their Philadelphia based productions. This means it is not an IATSE union production.”
When AEW first launched, worker’s rights became one of its many calling cards as the promotion looked to differentiate itself from WWE with a wrestler-first mentality. In regards to providing health insurance for wrestlers, which is virtually unheard of among national wrestling promotions, AEW President and CEO Tony Khan said the following at an AEW Double or Nothing rally in 2019:
IATSE Local 8 Stagehands Speak Out Against AEW And The 2300 Arena
In a real “die as a hero…” moment, AEW now finds itself at odds with a top union in Philadelphia. IATSE claims AEW is underpaying non-union stagehands for its 2300 Arena residency, which spans from Wednesday, August 27, 2025 to Thursday, September 11, 2025. With over 800 members in the Philadelphia area, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States (IATSE Local 8) is the largest union representing workers in the entertainment industry.
IATSE has posted multiple videos on its Facebook page encouraging AEW and the 2300 Arena to pay workers a fair wage. As of this writing, 75 letters have been sent on behalf of IATSE via the Action Network.
“IATSE Local 8 is investigating the wages, benefits and working conditions under which the employees working this event in our jurisdiction are being paid,” read an IATSE Facebook post. The post went on to claim AEW is “undermining area standards and that the labor for this event are receiving substandard wages, benefits and working conditions.” IATSE Local 8 listed standard wages as follows:
IATSE Local 8 Standard Wages
- $40.00 Journeyman hourly wages
- 15% Health and Welfare contribution on gross wages
- 12% Annuity contribution on gross wages
- 8% Pension contribution on gross wages
- 1% Training contribution on gross wages
- $54.40 All In Total
“AEW, though they might not typically work in non-union venues, they’re doing it now,” said a stagehand on the picket line at the 2300 Arena. “And also, being probably the biggest show to come to this venue in a long time, they have the ability to make that change. They have the ability to say ‘hey, we’re not gonna do this show with the 10 high school kids you pulled off the park bench.’”
Another IATSE Local stagehand weighed in with similar sentiments.
“Unfortunately, 2300 Arena is not doing right by the workers in this area. They’re not doing right by their workers, they’re not doing right by anybody that works in this industry, they’re not paying area-standards in wages, they are not providing healthcare for their employees and we just want to really make sure that everybody inside [the 2300 Arena] that’s working all these shows are able to have a good living and a safe work environment.”
AEW did not respond to a request for comment. This article will be updated if they do.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alfredkonuwa/2025/08/27/aew-dynamite-faces-protest-from-iatse-union-over-wages/
