In the theater community of Los Angeles of all places, there’s a rebellion against mandated pay hikes

See Acting Up Against the Minimum Wage: Los Angeles actors sue their labor union to preserve small theaters. Editorial from the WSJ. Excerpts:

"On Saturday in federal court in Los Angeles, a group of actors and other workers sued Actors’ Equity Association to stop the union from forcing theaters with fewer than 100 seats to pay union members at least $9 per hour.

The rebels, who seem to have a better grasp of economics than the union leadership, warn in their lawsuit that forcing the rules on theaters that used to be exempt will force many to “close altogether.” They add that “all will have greater difficulty producing original works.”

It turns out that just as young, unskilled workers in the restaurant industry are willing to accept low wages to gain valuable experience, actors also want the freedom to make their own decisions on which jobs to accept. According to the lawsuit, “Thousands of actors and other creative artists will likely lose access to important theatrical volunteer acting opportunities which contribute to their creative development, enhance their professional careers, and often lead to recognition by others in the theatrical, television and film industries and then to remunerative acting employment.”"