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As GOP crank-yanker Roger Stone recently learned, most Broadway theaters are dark on Monday, so day three of the stagehands’ strike will have the least impact on the city’s economy. The Times has a funny photo in today’s article about stymied Broadway theatergoers; it depicts disappointed Spamalot ticket-holder Cecelia Pan taking her family to a slightly different show: St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Because, you know, with Broadway shuttered there’s simply no other family theater worth seeing in New York City.
Turn to Playbill for all your ticket refund questions. (Short answer: tickets bought with your credit card will be automatically refunded minus the “processing fee”; tickets bought at the box office can be brought there for refunds.) The Times also did some informative number-crunching yesterday: Broadway is a $939 million industry, more than 12 million tickets were sold last year, the 2003 Broadway musicians strike cost the city about $7 million a day, the producers have amassed a $20 million emergency fund, the union’s got $4.1 million in reserve, currently stagehands earn between $1,225 and $1,600 per week – and that’s not counting all the O.T.
A Playgoer commenter points us to a blogging stagehand; so far the site is high on fiery rhetoric, but it might be worth checking back for any first-hand reportage. Concerned ticket-holders should keep refreshing Michael Riedel’s page at the Post website – he’s got the inside sources who first confirmed the strike.
The two sides have held dueling press conferences since the strike started Saturday. The League of American Theatres and Producers used their air time to decry the union’s contractual “featherbedding”, which requires producers to hire more workers than necessary. Local One president James Claffey was joined at his Sunday press conference by members of Actors Equity and officials from the musicians’ union. Claffey took major umbrage at the term “featherbedding”: “As they continue to say featherbedding and they keep [saying] basically that we're thieves, we're not going back to the table with that lack of respect.” And Claffey has announced a one-day suspension of the strike at the Marriot Marquis Theater, where stagehands will work free of charge at a fundraiser for mentally challenged children.
Photo from Punk Elmo's Flickr.
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I saw Cymbelline at Lincoln Center this weekend -- it's nonprofit, so not affected by the strike. Excellent production, if you're looking for theater this week. Just saying... and there are discount tix available through Playbill.com.
The stagehands are handing out the following flyer on the street.
We are LOCAL ONE
The stagehands who work behind the scenes
for all the shows on Broadway
WE TRULY REGRET THAT THERE IS NO SHOW.
Theatre owners and producers are demanding a 38 % cut in our jobs and wages. They have built a $20 million fund to be used against us from the sale of theatre tickets to the public.
Broadway is a billion dollar a year industry and has never been more profitable than now.
Cuts in our jobs and wages will never result in a cut in ticket prices to benefit the public, but only an increase in the profits for producers.
Unlike the producers, we are not fighting for our second or third homes; we are fighting to keep the one that we have.
We ask for your understanding in our efforts to defend ourselves and protect our families.
Sincerely,
The Brothers and Sisters of LOCAL ONE, I.A.T.S.E.
What follows are the words on one stagehand wlking the line, quoted in an online publication:
QUOTE:
"I am the sole provider for a family of five. The media makes it sound like we are being offered a wage hike. In reality, if we accepted the producers’ offer in cutbacks in jobs and wages, my salary would be reduced by 25 percent.
“Like the construction industry, we have no guarantee of steady work. You work if the theaters need you and like the way you produce for them. There are no seniority protections.
“The actors, costumers, and the musicians all support us. Some of the actors came out with picket signs. One of the leading actors in our show picketed with us with his two children. There will be no show tonight.
“The producers made a record billion dollars last year and they still want to cut our wages. But this doesn’t mean that the theaters will charge the customers less for the tickets. The companies want to make more of a profit. Indeed, the theaters saved $20 million from ticket profits in order to prepare for this strike.
“The producers hired a lawyer with expertise in union-busting who had been previously used by the New York Times against their unions. With his guidance, they have been preparing to provoke this strike for at least three years.
“We rejected their original offer, and then the producers came back with another offer that was even worse. They wanted us to walk out in October when in most of the theaters they implemented the work rule changes that they were demanding to be part of the new contract. Even then, the union decided not to strike, but to wait in order to have more time to resolve this issue. But it is clear that the producers are not interested in any kind of compromise."
Join the Army and STFU!
I can't believe I just got to use the term "STFU".
Duran Duran totally got screwed.
Not all stagehand, not most stagehands make 1,600 a week. Even if they did make that for a week they might be out of work for the next 3 weeks.
It's so complicated... salaries that are out-of-synch with reality and things like "featherbedding" make me doubt unions -- look at what unrealistic salaries and benefits have done in Detroit.
On the other hand, the need for increased profits is out of hand across industries and employers are trying to squeeze out every drop of cash they can.
What's the happy medium in this situation?
It's impossible to find neutral information about this. If the producers are really looking to cut off "no work" jobs then I can't blame them. It's pointless to pay 12 people for a job when you only need 8.
If "cutting my pay by 25%" means that "I'll work less days because I won't be brought on to sit around as an alternate" then sorry.
Yes, poor Duran Duran. :( Glad I saw the show last week. :)