yes and: WE WANT a fair contract
AICE Union is the Association of International Comedy Educators; representing Teachers, Music Directors, and Facilitators of The Second City, Second City Training Center, and Second City “BizCo”/Business Works.
We’re gearing up for another round of bargaining, after a 700-day fight for a fair first contract three years ago.
what is aice?
who makes up aice?
The Second City is owned by ZMC, a private equity firm run by Founder Strauss Zelnick, whose personal net worth is approximately $364 million.
The educators of The Second City unionized to guarantee equitable and just working conditions for all The Second City teachers and facilitators in Chicago, Hollywood (now shuttered), and Toronto. Through our union, the Association of International Comedy Educators (AICE), we seek to establish a working environment that prioritizes health & accessibility, diversity & inclusivity, fair compensation, and reasonable employment terms.
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WBEZ’s “Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons”: Second City teachers on landing a contract with pay increases, ‘succession’ clause
OUR 2024 FIGHT for a fair first contract:
“The Second City Union’s Long Fight for a Contract”: Brynn Schaal interviews Bina Martin, Piero Procaccini, & Edmund O’Brien
i want to support. What can I do?
Follow us on social media: Instagram @AICEUnion tag us with a message of support. Pics, videos, words, and bits are welcome.
And you can follow Second City Training Center @secondcitychitc for ongoing information about classes and schedules.
the story of our fight for a fair first contract
700 days before we finally got a fair first contract, employees in Chicago, Toronto, and Los Angeles all voted YES for the Association of International Comedy Educators to represent us as a union; and notified our employer, The Second City.
Thank you to the public (and our students) for your support—after 700 days of negotiations, a rejected “Last Best and Final” offer, a strike authorization, and an 11th hour 13-hour bargaining session—we definitely couldn’t have done this without you.
“No one will hand you the keys to your own salvation.”
In January 2022, AICE entered into negotiations with Second City in Chicago, Toronto, Hollywood.
500 days later, Second City leadership had stopped showing up altogether for agreed-upon negotiating dates, going 3 straight months as 'no-call no-shows’. On Day 500, AICE held a picketing rally outside of Second City Chicago to remind leadership of its obligation to bargain in good faith, and leadership began (partially) showing up again.
In June 2023, AICE Hollywood (CWA 9505) members were put in serious jeopardy by the announcement that Second City will no longer be seeking a brick and mortar space in LA. (Second City Hollywood is now no more after this permanent shuttering.)
In September 2023, Toronto reached an agreement with Second City leadership, giving most teachers a 25% pay increase. (Toronto has a lower cost of living and more labor laws protecting workers). Second City also officially announced the opening of Second City New York in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Brooklyn.
On December 13, 2023—on the 700th day since negotiations began—Second City leadership chose to walk away from the bargaining table, refusing to schedule further negotiating dates, and offering a “last best and final” offer which was not accepted by our bargaining team and voted down by our membership.
On January 8, 2024, AICE’s bargaining team notified Second City leadership of a strike to commence in Chicago beginning Tuesday, January 16, and continuing until an agreed-upon fair first contract is in hand. After a surge of support from students, the public, and other Second City employees, Second City leadership agreed to return to the bargaining table; where after a 13-hour marathon bargaining session, a first contract was agreed upon with AICE’s bargaining team.
On January 20, 2024, AICE Chicago members voted to ratify a 3-year collective agreement with a 93% “YES” vote with 85% of members voting.
In January 2024, Second City opened its first franchise, (Second City New York) under its ownership of ZMC, the private equity firm that now owns Second City. Strauss Zelnick, ZMC’s CEO, has a net worth of over $340 million.
In April 2024, AICE Chicago members called on Second City leadership to acknowledge NYC’s faculty as a Union with the United Federation of Teachers, and they did. As of May 2026, SCNY’s only professional in-house performances are a $10 Sunday night improv show.