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By Rick Eymer
Palo Alto Online Sports

A group of picketers stood in the rain outside the loading area of Maples Pavilion Saturday.

That's just not something seen around here very often these days.

The strikers arrived before 7 a.m.

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which represents crew members who work on movies and TV shows, has declared a strike against the Pac-12 Networks, calling it an "unfair employer."

The IATSE wants to establish area standard wages and benefits for the freelancers, most of whom are non-union, who work on the network's telecasts.

Strikers were present, even in the rain, outside Stanford University's Maples Pavilion on Saturday where the Cardinal men's basketball team was playing UC Davis in a nonconference contest.

Union representatives say there is no dispute with any of the Pac-12 schools or arenas.

According to one source at the scene, there was at least one cameraman who had never worked a sporting event previously.

Steve Aredas, a representative for the IATSE, told AP the union has tried to communicate with Pac-12 Networks executives, but they have not responded.

According to AP, Pac-12 Networks has employed technicians represented by the IATSE at 10 of the conference schools in the union's jurisdiction. The union says the network has used non-union labor on many events in those markets or a combination of union and non-union labor working side-by-side.

The union said those technicians working without a contract receive lower wages, no benefits and no job protection.

According to the IATSE website, it is the largest union representing workers in the entertainment industry. The over 113,000 members operate in all forms of live theater, motion picture and television production, trade shows and exhibitions, television broadcasting, and concerts.

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