Be prepared: A strike might shut down Broadway shows next week
 

Stagehands and producers are reportedly far apart in labor negotiations, which might precipitate a closedown of Broadway shows as early as next Monday.

Thanks! I was actually thinking of heading into town for a show soon. I may keep my plans but avoid Priceline and anything else non-refundable for the hotel.

Howard, I hadn't heard anything about this for the past couple months. Originally (JULY?) they were talking about making it around Thanksgiving for a BIG effect. So it's moved forward?

My info is based on yesterday's and today's news reports. Evidently, the two sides are far apart in their negotiations.

It seems always to be "with stagehands" doesn't it?

Not at all, Dukey. Last time (2003?) it was with the musicians. Cost Broadway and New York City millions of dollars.

In retrospect, it definitely isn't always with stagehands, but it IS always with producers! LOL

Those stagehand union laws really are absurd by the way. Among other things are requirements based on the theatre how many are required -- and there are huge requirements about "loading" a show into the theatre. If a show is done totally bare stage and has no scenery at all, it makes no difference -- X number of stagehands must be hired and paid daily to stand around and do absolutely nothing anyway. Now THAT is absurd and just one reason why Broadway tickets prices have gotten out of hand.

Perhaps. But ticket prices say more about a) real estate values and b) the price of everything else. Wages are a pretty small part of it. (Except maybe star salaries, and B'way isn't generally so star-dependent these days.) I think, though, that most people in the industry (and the audience) thought the musicians had a point, since their big beef was the subsitition of electronics for live musicians - if we figure out a subsititute for live actors, that'll be something! We'll call it "cinetheatre"!

Funny enough, though, this story has been mostly unspoken in NYC until today - Now that Amedinijad;s speaking engagements are through, perhaps it will move up in the news!

Oh, it's been discussed publicly, but the mere fact that there were labor negotiations in itself wasn't big news. It was only when there was an obvious wide gulf between the two sides that it rapidly approached the "crisis" or "serious" stage.
I'll have to disagree with the comment that wages are a small part of the rising cost of shows. It is most definitely a major factor in the weekly operating break-even figure for any show, which residually affects tickets prices.

I'm taking my teenage nieces to NYC next week and we are going to see 3 Broadway shows and two that are part of the NYMF. I pray they get this worked out - it would devastate the girls (and me!)

Sorry, Patrick, to have over-generalized for you...my theatre President husbear is the one who keeps saying it is always about the stagehands.

Well, it's not happening this Monday (October 1). More talks have been requested for two days next week.

The biggest issue appears to be the "load in" -- the very expensive procedure (up to a million dollars for a single production) of moving scenery into a theatre and setting it up. The cost and number of workers for this procedure is set theatre by theatre and often involves many workers being paid for doing nothing -- literally. For example if either Young Frankenstein with tons and tons of scenery or Our Town with no scenery were each being presented in the same theatre -- the total number of stagehands required and the hours they would be paid would be the same. Can anyone justify this?

It's all very quiet and has been since that initial announcement a week ago of the possible closedown. So, we'll keep our fingers crossed.
Patrick, do you really think that situation would change dramatically....or even undramatically?

Probably not, but it seems even a bigger issue than the part of the musician's strike a few years ago which included the issue of having to pay up to 21 musicians even for a musical that only 5 played for! At least they got a compromise on that issue.

I just can't get over the idea of paying dozens of men to unload and to set up scenery for several days, when there's no scenery to unload or set up.

By the way, my update announcement was based on a Playbill.com announcement today that the League of American Theatres and Producers has requested (and apparently set up) meetings with the union for Tuesday and Thursday of this week. They had said they wouldn't negotiate beyond October 1, which led to that possible strike this Monday, but they have now set up further negotiations.

If they do end up striking, Disney shows, Young Frankenstein, Off-B'way and (for luvtrvl) NYMF will not be affected. Unfortunately that leaves a lot that will be affected. Given the ridiculous union work rules I'm wondering how much public sympathy the stagehands will get should they decide to walk.

Hey Howard and Patrick,

If you caught it a day or two ago, I posted and then asked the editors to delete my post, as it was revealing publicly too much than what I want to share on this forum.

I must however say, that I find the accusations to be offbase regarding labour cost vs ticket price....well that is only the first point.

For the record: I take a very deep personal offense to those kind of remarks. I have good reason to. And this is truly not the venue to discuss this on my part.

However, you are not fully informed and what you post are vague generalizations that do no look at the whole picture, therefore making some of your statements - false accusations.

If any of your fodor friends has my email address, feel free to ask for it and discuss this further off forum.

Mahalo and Aloha,
sistah-gyppielou-lani

kealalani, please tell me ONE "vague generalization" or "false statement" that I have made.

This is not the time or the place to discuss who is right and who is wrong, or how much of the total "pie" stagehands, actors, musicians, technicians, or anyone else makes. I didn't attempt to get into that.

But can you honestly tell me that it is NOT true that the number of stagehands required for load ins is NOT determined by the theatre and that it remains the same regardless of the show going in and regardless of how much scenery there is (or isn't)? I have numerous friends who are in the union. While they will staunchly defend the position of their union and their jobs and I don't blame them, even they won't deny that is how it works. Several of them have happily collected major checks for doing load ins where they literally did little or nothing. They feel and the union feels it is justified to protect their jobs. Get rid of those types of requirements and jobs and perhaps the producers will cut scenery more and more and cut more and more stagehand jobs. Maybe so, but please don't tell me I have made a single "vague generalization" or "false accusation". If you say that description I gave is false, then I will know you know NOTHING about how it works. Period.

I know this is very pesonal to you, but please don't try to make me out to be a liar about how the system works. If you want to disagree with my statement that the system is ridiculous, well that's certainly your right. But don't deny the truth about the actual requirements.

Chances are very real that the shutdown may occur today!

If there is a strike on Broadway, would this also affect the shows Off-Broadway?

No, it wouldn't affect the off-Broadway productions. Meanwhile, I haven't heard any more about possible strike. Negotiations seem to have been extended, so I'm not sure what's happening now, but to my knowledge a number of the issues have yet to be settled.