I Thought I Heard It All

In todays NY Post, it was reported that because of the delay in starting the opening night of Fiddler because of the death of Jerome Robbins sister, the musicians union wants to be paid overtime. At least the stagehands have a liitle respect for the dead. You wonder why people say Broadway is dying. Can you spell GREED boys & girls ?

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Updated On: 3/5/04 at 05:45 PM

Here here, Mr. Roxy! I couldn't agree more. Gothampc, you must be a musician. I understand the need to be paid for your work, but there is also the need to act like a human being.

If I found out that my performance was delayed due to a death, you wouldn't hear me bitching about money.

Yes, they're professionals. Professional jerks!

Did you people ever work in a job that pays overtime? Doesn't sound like it.

Why should a musician not be paid when the shift runs over? The reason for the delay is not a factor. Heartless? No. Reality.

Where do you draw the line on what constitutes an acceptable reason to deny compensation? There are no shades of grey. It is the law. And, like most labor law, it came about because of years of past abuse. This isn't a case for sentiment. Would you deny overtime to other professions where an individual has died? Say...the EMT that treats an emergency patient who later dies? Or how about the police officer dispatched to a fatal multiple vehicle car accident that takes two hours past his shift to clear and then heads to jail with a DUI arrest? How about the bus driver delayed past the end of his shift when an individual who dies from natural causes is eventually discovered in the back of the bus? Should he not be paid when he stays answering endless questions and fills out endless forms? How about the clerk ready to "punch out" but notices the old man turning blue and clutching his chest? He renders aid but it's all for naught. Should he not be paid? (Yea, I know, not if he works for WalMart.)

Death is a part of life, people. And one thing you learn is that there is never enough money to compensate for YOUR time. Especially when your work shift extends past your quitting time. The overtime pay only helps to pay for that taxi, because you missed the last bus. The overtime pay helps to pay the extra daycare cost because you couldn't pickup a child on time. The overtime pay helps pay for a takeout dinner because you're not home in time to cook a meal. The overtime pay helps defray the cost your dentist charges because you missed your appointment.

Yea, those bastard musicians. How dare they have a life. They should all be fired.

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What etoile said. Exactly.

If that's the case with the producers starting all this, then I certainly apologize for my remarks. However, my response was not intended to be about the musicians reveiving overtime pay - it was the idea of them DEMANDING overtime pay in the light of someone's death that angered me.

And as a matter of fact, I have worked (and still do) in a profession that pays overtime. I am a member of Equity and AFM and have worked many times under both unions' jurisdictions. I experienced a situation in which while working on stage, a man had a heart attack in the audience just before the start of Act 2, and later died at the hospital.

There was a delay of approximately 15 minutes to get Act 2 started and the show ended a bit late. One of the other actors DEMANDED that he be compensated with overtime for the delay. The rest of the cast members (including myself) thought he was the biggest A**hole on the face of the planet. The producers planned on giving everyone overtime for the delay, but he never bothered to wait to find that out. I guess that's why I am a bit more sensitive with this situation.

There are always two sides to every story

https://www.broadwayworld.com/l.cfm?id=23824

Who is to say which is true at this point...

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It's funny.... With this thread (as with a few others that have come along), I can tell exactly who the people are by their responses.

And (to reveal a bit about myself in my response), it's "hire," not "higher" CATSNYRevival.

Updated On: 3/6/04 at 08:37 PM

okay, okay so I apologize. I too was just upset that they were demanding pay because someone died. But now that that apparently didn't happen I must take back what I said. I apologize.

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And (to reveal a bit about myself in my response), it's "hire," not "higher" CATSNYRevival.
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I blame spell-check for that one.

Apparently there has been a child left behind

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Why are you being so rude? It was a simple spelling error. Take a chill pill. And if you don't like the public education system then I suggest you take it upon yourself to fire all the teachers and HIRE new ones... good lord people. Try to be nice. If you don't have something nice, intelligent or at least somewhat interesting to say then shut the hell up.

That reminds me, why didn't the cast recording of A New Brain include the song "Be Polite?"

(Would the orchestra have been required to take overtime?)

I find the comment "I don't see how Vicious was being vicious" It is just funny ho can Vicious not be Vicious? If she wasn't vicious she wouldn't exist on BWW, therefore how could she post? ok I'm crawling back into my hole to sleep.

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Okay, I'm not gonna be nice anymore. Just to clear up any confusion I told VC to shut the hell up and I said that VC was being bitchy. Not you, eteile. But, if you're felling guilty I guess the shoe fits. I guess some people enjoy being f**ked up. I sure do. Why should I bother being nice to people like you....

Updated On: 3/7/04 at 02:19 AM