Broadway Stagehand Strike is Over
November 29, 2007
Broadway Stagehand Strike is Over
Nov. 29, 2007 – The curtain will go up tonight on Broadway. Following a 19-day stagehand strike, a tentative agreement was reached Wednesday night. Members of Local One union authorized the first strike in the 120 years of the organization on Nov. 10 after failing to reach an agreement with the League of American Theaters and Producers.
NTA members seeking additional information can go to Web sites of the following NTA tour suppliers who are involved with Broadway show tickets:
According to a statement in the Los Angeles Times, Charlotte St. Martin of the League of American Theatres and Producers said, "We are pleased to announce that we have a tentative agreement with Local 1 ending the Broadway strike, and we’re happy about that. Performances of all shows will begin again tomorrow night."
St. Martin added that, "The contract is a good compromise that serves our industry. What is most important is that Broadway’s lights will once again shine brightly, with a diversity of productions that will delight all theatergoers during this holiday time."
St. Martin said that the 26 Broadway shows shut down by the strike would resume performances today. No plans have been announced for new shows whose openings were delayed, including "The Little Mermaid" and "The Farnsworth Invention."
Details of the five-year contract have not been disclosed and must be approved by the union membership. Both sides were divided over wages.
City Comptroller William Thompson estimated the economic impact of the strike at $2 million a day, based on survey data that include theatergoers’ total spending on tickets, dining and shopping.