Ny Times: Joe Allen says chief carpenter makes $8,000. per week!

[billynj]

Posted: 11/17/07 at 2:13pm

November 17, 2007
In Theater District Bars, Many of the Glasses Are Half-Empty
By ALAN FEUER
Broadway, like the old Fulton Fish Market, is a business and a culture — once described by Stanley Walker, the Jazz Age city editor, as “an excited condition of fourth-rate emotions” realized, at street level, in “chow-meineries, peep shows for men only, flea circuses, lectures on what killed Rudolph Valentino” and other amusements that he was too much of a prude to put in print.

Most of that is long gone, leaving only the emotions, recently on display in the stagehands’ strike that has kept the theater district dark for nearly a week.

One hears various things about the strike — it is sad, it is stupid, it exists between those fighting for their first home and those fighting for their third — though no matter what one hears, with the theaters closed, it is likely to be heard in one of Broadway’s many bars.

On Thursday night, the bars were surprisingly lively, especially the hush-hush upstairs joint on 46th Street owned and managed by Joe Allen, the restaurateur. Sinatra played, the low lights flattered older women, the veal was said to be delicious. Mr. Allen, fastidious in velvet, sat at a table passing on a story he had heard about the chief carpenter at the Belasco — or maybe it was the Minskoff — who was losing $8,000 a week because of the strike.

“Think about that for a moment,” Mr. Allen said. “Eight thousand a week. Times 52 weeks — or let’s just say he only works 30. That’s a lot of money in the bank.”

Sitting at the bar, an elegant bald man, who had ordered the veal, raised his fork and agreed.

Mr. Allen’s understanding of the situation is that years ago, when Broadway was “smoking,” the producers cut a deal with the stagehands’ union to pad the payroll and thus avoid a strike. Then, in recent years, a younger generation of producer came along, one who no longer wished to tolerate the union man who will sometimes sit, as it is said, on a beach chair in the back of a truck.

“I saw them picketing the other day on 44th Street and thought to myself, ‘That’s the hardest they’ve worked in years,’” Mr. Allen said.

The scene was somewhat different at Smith’s, on Eighth Avenue at West 44th Street, which has an atmosphere of steam-table snacks and dollar beers.

Most nights, the place would be filled with members of Local 1 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the stagehands’ union. On Thursday night, it was filled instead with men from the electricians’ union who were doing the wave and drinking cheaply on what a sign called “Construction Worker Appreciation Day.”

Kevin O’Lunney, who owns the Kevin St. James bar up the block on Eighth Avenue, said the stagehands just weren’t drinking these days, being short of money and standing in the cold on picket lines all day. Strikes are not conducive to a festive mood.

“It’s not a party — it’s serious,” he said.

At Smith’s, however, the party itself was serious and seemed to include pestering the barmaids, insulting politicians and laughing at uncharitable ethnic jokes. A large man with a mustache, who claimed to be a chef, not a stagehand, had unkind words for a presidential candidate who reminded him of a certain aging talk-show host who, in turn, reminded him of “something eating corn through a fence.”

One block east, at Angus McIndoe on 44th Street, the bottled beers were $5 each. (They were $7 at Joe Allen’s and a cut-rate $4 at Smith’s, not including the construction worker special.) Sitting at the bar, you could see the strikers picketing the Majestic Theater across the street.

Angus McIndoe is known as an “actors’ bar,” but the only actors in sight were seen through the windows. Even the two men standing at the bar who looked like actors were not (though when pressed, they confessed to having “actorlike hair”).

Sam Ellis is a technical supervisor who has worked on several dozen Broadway shows. As the man in charge of a production’s lighting, scenery, sound and wardrobe, he stands between the union and the management, represented by the League of American Theaters and Producers.

Mr. Ellis very kindly interrupted his birthday dinner at Angus McIndoe to speak about the strike with uninvited guests.

“What they’re banging their heads against is rules no one even knows why they exist anymore,” he said.

His dessert, its candle extinguished, remained half-eaten on the table.

“This is a great business to be in, though, a very good business,” he said. “At least they say it’s a business. Really, it’s just entertainment.”




http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/17/theater/17bars.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=theater&pagewanted=print Updated On: 11/17/07 at 02:13 PM

[morosco]

Posted: 11/17/07 at 2:18pm

“I saw them picketing the other day on 44th Street and thought to myself, ‘That’s the hardest they’ve worked in years,’” Mr. Allen said.

Ouch!

[Clara's Pony]

Posted: 11/17/07 at 2:23pm

The $8000 is anecdotal and may well be an exaggeration... (even though I admit stagehands' salaries are regularly bumped up by overtime). Also not the first controversial thing said by Joe Allen. I'm afraid I'm only likely to believe this kind of stuff when it's been researched properly & verified...

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 11/17/07 at 2:29pm

Well, the thread title is a little misleading. Allen said it, not the NYTimes.

And besides, article from the NYTimes gives a much different salary:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/arts/14broadway.html

[JustAGuy]

Posted: 11/17/07 at 2:32pm

It's ironic that Joe Allen would be disparaging about what anyone gets paid, considering he has the balls to charge $25.00 dollars for Braised Short Ribs, at Orso. Which is one of the least expensive cuts of meat you can find.


Orso Menu

[morosco]

Posted: 11/17/07 at 2:33pm

Yeah...thread should be titled "Joe Allen says chief carpenter makes $8,000 per week".

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/17/07 at 2:36pm

$8000/week? Sorry, but I don't believe it for one second.

In fact, without him showing me a check stub, I wouldn't believe he makes HALF that.

You REALLY believe that producers -- some of the greediest, penny-pinching MFs on the planet, would pay a glorified stagehand almost a half a million a year? PLEASE.....

They very rarely pay ON stage talent that much money and those are people who usually have high powered agents negotiating for them. Those few performers who've ever made that are people who have their own significant followings (usually from tv or film) that would pay money just to see them, so at least the high salary can be justified and offset by the additional boost in box office.

Who the hell ever paid money to see a show that a particular stagehand was working (unseen by the audience)?

Updated On: 11/17/07 at 02:36 PM

[Tkt2Ride]

Posted: 11/17/07 at 7:01pm

Where is this Carpenter and is he Married? I mean 8 grand a week? He can outsource and pay some guy half of that, sit back with good ol' Joe to talk smack! Of course any guy who gets that kind of money would have to be a designer and head foreman.

I wonder what Joe takes in a month? I guess times are hard for the old guy. After that comment he won't be getting any more business from Mr. Big Shot Carpenter and I bet more than a few Engineers want a word with this guy too!

With this kind of publicity, Joe will definitely lose some serious business with those stagehands who are always sneaking out for a beer. More of them than Producers these days and they probably tip.

He will have to charge that much for short ribs because ain't nobody going to want to go to his Restaurant much anymore. I love a good businessman.

[StageFan2]

Posted: 11/17/07 at 7:43pm

How ridiculous! I'd have to see proof.
Updated On: 11/17/07 at 07:43 PM

[SamIAm]

Posted: 11/17/07 at 7:57pm

Local One has stated that their top salary (for department heads) is $90,000, and that their highest paid members make $88,000, presuming they work full schedules for 12 months of the year, which they usually do not. Living in NYC, and working only part of each year makes their salary look less attractive, especially considering that these jobs are more complicated and in general, require heavier work, than in the past.

Love Joe Allen dearly, but he needs to get his facts straight.

[localonecrew]

Posted: 11/17/07 at 8:09pm

i guarantee that this hurts his business.

what a douche!

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 11/17/07 at 8:38pm

People keep trying to paint these stagehands as practical welfare queens, but based on the more reasonable estimations, most of them are probably making about the same as the chorus boy. Nowhere near enough for people to get jealous and indignant about.

[One NYC StageHand]

Posted: 11/17/07 at 10:45pm

This statement is symptomatic of a larger problem commonly found those who either spout or listen to hyperbole. They suffer fools gladly. The only bigger a--hole is an a--hole who argues with an a--hole. I would expect a little greater factual accuracy from the NYTimes but then perhaps the editor accompanied the reporter on the round of barhopping.

Perhaps since Mr. Allen has put his oar into the topic, is it now appropriate for the rest of us to ask just how well his workers are paid? Hello, INS? Hello, IRS? Hello, NY State Liquor Authority? Hello, NYC Board Of Health?

[BrianS]

Posted: 11/18/07 at 1:29am

orangeskittles, most of them are making more than the chorus boy (as their starting salaries are very close and AEA contracts rarely get overtime). While almost none of them are making the $160k the producers are stating, they aren't making the $67k they keep listing on this board either. Both sides are being very selective about the info they provide (e.g. Local 1 saying that producers cleaned up last year bringing in $939 million when they know that number isn't profit, but the Gross including shows that lost money and then the producers mentioning the higher paid stagehands who, with overtime, made $160k and made it sound like that was the average salary).

Joe Allen has to be wrong about that $8g/week figure, but there are a lot of people on this board that know it is also misleading to say that the very top salary earned by any IATSE member is $90K when that figure doesn't include overtime, raises, and all of the incidentals that add up over time.

I don't say that to incite anyone, but to perpetuate those exaggerations doesn't benefit anyone. Besides, it doesn't matter anyway because the people in that negotiating room are the only ones who matter and they all know the facts. I really hope they get it sorted by tomorrow night so we can go back to our normal lives on Tuesday.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 11/18/07 at 1:51am

Monday.

Joe Allen is a Broadway legend and he tends to embelish but he know what People make on Broasway and he is getting his kicks in and a little free publidity at the same time. Besides, this is not a place where I have in over 35 years ever run into a stagehand.
that sentence was too long, but hell it's Saturday night and I am still on STRIKE, get back to the table and work this out, please.

[don logan]

Posted: 11/18/07 at 11:16am

C'MON!!! 8 grand a week? $416,000 a year? To ONE stagehand? PUULEASE!!!

[billynj]

Posted: 11/18/07 at 11:25am

chief carpenter is not just a stagehand there is a reason these jobs stay in the family for 4 or more generations

[sabrelady]

Posted: 11/18/07 at 2:08pm

If the Times spelled his name right in the papaer- I guess he got what he wanted.
When I did film work the top paid IATSE group wer Transportation( and usually the senior guys) and they made between 3- 5 K a week w OT. So a Bway carp @ 8 K. nope.
P.S. remember a transport guy in film works 3-6 months b4 the film finishes and he is out of a job comepletely.

[Mooo]

Posted: 11/18/07 at 3:48pm

doing the math that means he is on the clock all but 6 hours a day 7 days a week at $64.00/hour. I smell a lie. We work lomh hours but not that long.

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 11/18/07 at 4:00pm

If you want bland , tasteless, over rated and over priced food - Joe Allens is the perfect place to go.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 11/18/07 at 4:39pm

The meatloff is sxcellent.

[Tkt2Ride]

Posted: 11/18/07 at 8:16pm

Mechanics in my town if they only work on job 40hrs a week make an annual salary of $196,220 a year approx. They make $109.00 an hour. Of course they work more than one job and usually have assistants that they pay a lot less than that but that is how much the charge, not including parts.

That's $4360.00 a week at $109.00 dollars an hour. Compare that to other professions and I bet they charge more in the big Cities. I live in the suburbs.

I'm sorry Joe is feeling no sympathy for the Carpenters these days but most of them could probably take apart and put back together the walls holding up his place. I bet even Joe can't do that. Why does someone still want to be in the paper and look so well, dumb? I guess he figures only the Producers are getting paid so suck up to those with the money?

The sadder part is that the Newspaper actually published this. It just shows whose side they are on and have been for some time now.