Harmony: Stagehands Approve New Contract With Broadway Producers

By Kenneth Jones
and Andrew Gans and Robert Simonson
December 9, 2007

Local One, the Broadway stagehands union, overwhelmingly ratified its new contract with Broadway producers on Dec. 9, according to the news channel NY1.

The contract, which lasts five years, comes after an injurious 19-day strike that shut down 27 Broadway shows between Nov. 10-28. After a Nov. 28 tentative agreement had been reached between the union and the League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc., producers scrambled to get their shows back up on Friday Nov. 29. All shows were back in business on Friday night.

The sides did not release details of the new contract.

Union spokesman Bruce Cohen told NY1, "There won't be any interruption or possible interruption on Broadway through the five-year term of this contract."

Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of The League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc. stated Dec. 9, "We are pleased that Local One has ratified the contract. We wish everyone a happy holiday. Come and see a show this season!"

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Following the tentative agreement reached between the League and the union, League executive producer Charlotte St. Martin said on Nov. 28, "We are pleased to announce that we have a tentative agreement with Local One of IATSE ending the Broadway strike. . . . The agreement is a good compromise that serves our industry." According to reports, neither the union nor the League got exactly what it wanted. The producers were able to eliminate some long-standing work rules, decreasing the number of men needed for show load-ins, but other labor requirements were left in place. The stagehands, meanwhile, lost some jobs, but got a healthy pay raise, stretched over five years, in return. A few Broadway sages noted that, whatever the gains, the millions lost during the strike's three weeks will never be recovered.

The city estimated about $2 million a day in related business was lost during the strike.