Share
Unifor locals looking to add some ha-ha’s to their holiday parties can now hire professional comedians who are part of their union community.
Members of the Canadian Association of Stand-up, Sketch and Improv Comedians (CASC) — a Unifor community chapter that joined in April through the Canadian Freelance Union (CFU) — are available for local union and workplace events, not just in December but year-round.
“We’re not a booking agency and we never will claim to be,” said Clifford Myers, CASC president. “But we can point you in the direction of the artist, we can give you a guide with comedians who are members and the rates we expect.”
Hiring CASC comedians for union local events helps build worker power in a sector where comedians often face uncertainty, underpayment and precarity in the gig economy. Myers notes that many organizations currently outsource comedy acts to big-name agencies or clubs that don’t pay artists fairly.
“Many organizations book comedians from organizations like Yuk Yuk’s that are underpaying us,” Myers explained.
“If you’re doing that, you’re essentially hiring the same product from comedians who aren’t unionized.”
Myers said booking through CASC keeps that work within our own labour community.
CASC comedians are independent workers who now have access to union support, benefits, and advocacy through Unifor’s CFU. The association formally joined CFU this spring, a partnership Myers called “a monumental leap forward for Canadian comedians.”
The move helps performers develop new tools for organizing, education, and visibility within Canada’s broader labour movement.
“When I joined Unifor and spoke in Montreal, I said we have a very simple mission—to have good groceries on the kitchen table of every comedian in Canada,” he said.
“This is building worker power, in the grand scheme of things.”
Founded in 2017 by comedian and activist Sandra Battaglini and CASC 1st vice-president Johanne Britton, CASC emerged out of frustration with the way comedy clubs and producers treated performers, often offering inconsistent pay, little transparency, and no formal recognition as professional artists. Today, CASC has roughly 100 active members in Canada.
“It started with a conversation with the clubs. The clubs just don’t pay enough—and that’s still true to this day,” Myers said.
“Agents take a large percentage but do none of the work. Imagine yourself in these shoes. People are paying $4,000 for a comedy show, and the comedians in that show altogether are being paid maybe $600. It’s just absolutely unfair.”
CASC’s upcoming white paper, funded by Unifor and expected to be released in February 2026, aims to change that. The report will argue that comedy is an art form deserving of federal arts funding and recognition, much like music, theatre, or film.
“Right now, the Arts Council of Canada doesn’t recognize comedy as an art form,” Myers said.
“In order for comedians that get funding, we have to finagle it. We need a way to guarantee funding, and we are looking for a way to advocate for it.”
In Canada, where travel costs are high and venues are spread far apart, sustaining a comedy career can be difficult without collective support, noted Myers.
“Canada has the same population as California but it’s two and a half times bigger,” he said.
“The communication costs, the telephone, Internet. Everything is significantly more expensive with significantly less people [to fill the rooms].”
By booking CASC members for union events, locals not only support artists within their own movement, they also help normalize fair pay and professional standards for all performers, said Myers.
To learn more or book a comedian for your local’s event, contact the Canadian Association of Stand-up, Sketch and Improv Comedians at @email.
