Radio City Musicians Try to Go to Work

The Radio City Music Hall Rockettes performed to pre-recorded music as the labor dispute between the orchestra musicians' union and Radio City Music Hall management continued. Now, this is the confusing thing to Gothamist: Early stories we'd read said the musicians would actually strike and have a picket line, but it seems that musicians did show up to play, with or without a contract, only for the management to turn them away. It's clearly a game of one upsmanship in the eyes of the media, who can resist the synchronized loveliness of the Rockettes. Musicians are trying to get a raise (they make $133 per show, with overtime if they perform more than two shows; there may be six shows a day) while management says they get what amounts to benefits and pay for a year while only working 10 weeks of a year. We expect the Mayor to arbitrate on Election Day Eve morning, for an extra bump in the polls.