Profile for UnionMade

Taka, The easiest way to answer your questions is to direct you through several links of articles about the strike. Start here: http://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=23020 And then follow the link within that article or use this one that takes you to the same place: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/arts/14broadway.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin And finally:

I would also like to point out that Mr. Short is the president of the International and not Local ONE. And he is just expressing his opinion of the handling of the situation. At no time in this letter does he suggest that he will not support the WGA in their work action.

B, I will answer what I feel I can. First, setting the run crew: The size of the run crew is established by the Technical Supervisor(who is governed by the producers). The problem I have with this proposal is that producers look at the bottom line and not safety. I have seen many times in the past few years when the Tech. Sup. requests more stagehands and the producers refuse. It is becoming more common for stagehands to be required to run from cue to cue. This creates unsafe working conditio...

Dan, First off, I am a NY stagehand. So, obviously my info may be biased. The easiest way to answer your questions is to direct you through several links of articles about the strike. Start here: http://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=23020 And then follow the link within that article or use this one that takes you to the same place: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/arts/14broadway.html?_r=2

The League is not negotiating. Both sides started negotiations with their ideas of a new contract. Local ONE has conceded on many points trying to come to the middle. The producers have not budged. Instead of negotiating they imposed work rules on the union. The only option left to Local ONE was to strike or continue working under these work rules(Which we did for 19 days). The union did not strike to piss off the audience. This was the only LEGAL recourse left to the union. The Producers hav...

Sparkle A stagehand is not getting paid $500 a night to mop the floor. One stagehand gets paid an hours wage to mop the floor for each performance. The reason the floor gets mopped is because it is a rule in the Equity contract to protect the actors(who may be barefoot) from debris onstage. The reason this is a seperate call is because it is dangerous for preset of the show to happen on a wet stage. I wouldn't want to be servicing lighting while standing in a puddle. So, can we please put thi...

I love that this thread has stayed cordial and informative. All recent questions have been very well answered. I have been doing my best to find answers to questions on this board while working the picket lines. To be honest I did not have every answer and am only willing to give answers to things I believe I can truthfully answer. I wanted to add a little info that I found today. I was talking with one of the Broadway Technical Supervisors today. A Technical Supervisor is hired by the produc...

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Bobby The problem is that what the producers are asking for is the ability to evaluate the next day at the end of the day. They want be able to book us for three weeks and then at the end of each day tell us if we will be needed the following day. We have offered them much flexibility, but it is not enough for them. They have in no uncertain terms told our negotiating team that they want to INCREASE their profits. They aren't saying they are losing money and need to cover their losses, they a...

Brian 1.The three man rule comes from the fact that whenever the theatre is needed all three heads of departments are required to be called. I would like to point out that this rule is not being challenged by the League in negotiations. 2.I believe the operating cost for stagehands falls in the realm of 8%. I am not positive as to the official starting salary as it changes from theatre to theatre, but the number I have access to seems to be $67,000/yr. I do not believe that this is the single...

Why does everyone still insist that stagehands all make a six figure salary? As we have stated many times this is not true. As our President stated in this Sunday's press conference, Heads of departments working 52 weeks a year earn $90,000/yr. The average wage of stagehands is below even this figure.

Stagehands working the picket line at Legally Blonde had a gentleman come up to them and say: "Thank you guys! I didn't want to see this thing anyway! My wife dragged me to it!"

You beat me to it JAG!

Has anyone watched the hour long press conference Local ONE held on Sunday? Local One Press Conference. YouTube Judge for yourself; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEk7nngVr_c Even though the press was there and full access to it, they seem to have run out of ink or batteries.

tenacious Most of your answers can be found here: Local One Press Conference. YouTube Judge for yourself; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEk7nngVr_c There are seven parts total. Enjoy!

Just keeping this post available to those who want to hear the union side.

Bobby I refuse to disparage any other unions, but what makes the writers strike so much more valid than ours.

Nice to know you support the writers as long as you don't have to get a little wet. And if you really believe the League is willing to negotiate in good faith why don't you give them a call(212-764-1122) and ask them why they implemented work rules while negotiations were continuing. Just because the media claims the producers are negotiating in good faith doesn't make it true.

jr with your masters degree you should know the difference between someone calling a person "ignorant of a subject" and just plan "ignorant", but even though you have no reason to be emotionally invested in this you seem to find a way to take offense to anything. As to which of the two I categories I put you in, I previously would have labeled you the former. Now you are working your way toward the latter. And to all my other UNION brothers, do not let those that should not be as emotionally ...

caitiesus1522 And maybe we should have all our clothing made by children in third world countries. That trend is obviously working so well for the power of the AMERICAN dollar. I may be wrong because I haven't read every post in every thread, but I don't think that anyone here who claims to be a stagehand has suggested that any other profession should start taking pay cuts. In fact for the most part posts by stagehands here have been quite respectful. Which is hard because we are the ones who...