Broadway Service Workers Give Union Authority To Strike; Bargaining Continues

By Andrew Gans
16 Dec 2009

In a unanimous vote, more than 200 members of the Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ — which includes porters, cleaners and bathroom attendants at over two-dozen Broadway theatres — gave its "union bargaining committee the authority to settle or strike," according to the New York Times.

Negotiations for the new union contract covering over 240 theatre service workers began Dec. 3 between 32BJ SEIU and The Broadway League. The current contract expires Dec. 31. Bargaining goals, according to the union's website, include "fair and equitable wage increases, better access to employer-paid family healthcare coverage and maintenance of pension benefits."

A union spokesperson told the Times that Dec. 17 is currently the last scheduled bargaining date.

Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of The Broadway League, said in a Dec. 15 statement, "The Broadway League is in negotiations with 32BJ and we believe the negotiations are progressing well. We are confident that we will reach an agreement in a reasonable period of time and are moving forward. The strike authorization vote taken today is common practice for Trade Unions during negotiations. We are proud that many of our employees represented by the SEIU Local 32BJ have worked for Broadway for 10, 15, or even 25 years. Their longevity confirms that we are fair employers who care about the people who work for us on behalf of our industry."

A 2007 strike by Local One, the stagehands union, shut down Broadway for 18 days.