Potential Strike Update: Broadway House Staff Union Votes to 'Authorize a Strike'- Page 2

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/16/09 at 11:21am

That's nearly a 10% raise during a time when people are LUCKY to get a standard 1-3% cost of living increase. And though I understand what jrb is saying, I really don't think it's fair to increase someone's pay because their job is part-time. If people get paid full-time wages for part-time work, why would anyone work full-time? If they want to fight for something, it should be full-time hours.

Updated On: 12/16/09 at 11:21 AM

[Barney Stinson]

Posted: 12/16/09 at 11:23am

Sorry Fosse, but YOU are the idiot if you think Broadway is doing FAR BETTER THAN ANYONE as the union person said. Yeah SOME shows are doing great. MANY are not. Fact is, even in a good economy, Broadway - on average - was never doing far better than anyone. So if you are gonna throw the word idiot around, use it on yourself.

As for "they want tho earn more money". well, wouldn't we all. Doesn't mean we'll quit working. Or shoud quit working. By your moronic logic, no one should mind if the wanted an eleventy billion dollar raise. Who are you to say? Terrible point.

And sorry, but once again, you are wrong if you think market rate for cleaning is $16 an hour PLUS BENEFITS. It isn't. Only reason it is that high is because of the union.

And I'm not exploiting anyone. But thanks for the paragraph whining about how unfair it is that talented people make more money than untalented people. That was hilarious! Welcome to America and planet Earth!

In sum, pretty much all of your responses reek of ignorance about the real world. Good luck with that!

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 12/16/09 at 11:34am

"People seem to be attacking this pay increase by using a faulty argument. These folks aren't working full 40-hour weeks, so one cannot compare their situation to others making $16 an hour."

I would argue that most of them definitely work a full 40 hours. The matrons might not as they are probably just there for a call from when the house opens through maybe an hour after the performance.

I work in a theater that employs 32BJ porters and cleaners and they are generally all full-time employees.

[jrb]

Posted: 12/16/09 at 1:02pm

I stand corrected. You'd know better than I would.

With this cleared up...it doesn't seem like they have much of a leg to stand on. Will be interesting to see how this pans out.

[THDavis]

Posted: 12/17/09 at 1:11am

So, raise the tickets a dollar a ticket? I don't think that's too crazy. Chances are they'll raise each one another ten though, just for kicks.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 12/17/09 at 10:57am

http://www.nycedc.com/NewsPublications/Newsletters/EconomicSnapshot/Documents/Economic-Snapshot-1109.pdf

"Total Broadway attendance was approximately 1.2 million during the five weeks ending November 1, 2009, a 7.8 percent increase from the same period last year.

Broadway revenue during this period was roughly $98.7 million, a 14.8 percent increase from last year."

You were saying? Oh yeah:

"Sorry Fosse, but YOU are the idiot if you think Broadway is doing FAR BETTER THAN ANYONE as the union person said. Yeah SOME shows are doing great. MANY are not. Fact is, even in a good economy, Broadway - on average - was never doing far better than anyone. So if you are gonna throw the word idiot around, use it on yourself."

Guess you're still the idiot.

"And sorry, but once again, you are wrong if you think market rate for cleaning is $16 an hour PLUS BENEFITS. It isn't. Only reason it is that high is because of the union."

The average is around $20,000/year. However, averages are misleading. Median salary is a better indicator. Even the average is sketchy, since many of the salary sites don't have the same information and some don't even list the job. But so what? Let's assume you're right. Who cares. What makes you the decider that just because the pay is market rate makes it fair? Most of the clothes we wear were made in sweatshops in countries without labor laws. Those people make less in a year than a Housekeeper makes in a day. But that's their market rate. Is that really acceptable? I guess to someone like you it would be.

[jeffmiele]

Posted: 12/17/09 at 11:06am

if the strike happens when would it go into effect and would shows get cancelled? with the stagehand strike the show needed them, the show can operate without these staff members.

[TreyKenyon]

Posted: 12/17/09 at 11:08am

I could be wrong about this, but aren't these workers paid by the theatre owners?? If so, the state of Broadway grosses is irrelevant because the shows pay the same amount of rent to the theatre, regardless of how great/minimal their success is.

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 12/17/09 at 3:42pm

if the strike happens when would it go into effect and would shows get cancelled? with the stagehand strike the show needed them, the show can operate without these staff members.

The announcement said that it was possible that the shows would continue.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 12/18/09 at 11:25am

"I could be wrong about this, but aren't these workers paid by the theatre owners?? If so, the state of Broadway grosses is irrelevant because the shows pay the same amount of rent to the theatre, regardless of how great/minimal their success is."

Yes and no. Although they are paid directly from theater owners, ALL salaries associated with the theater are considered expenses of the production, and thus are not included in the rent. Also, shows do not pay the same amount of rent. Not only is is it negotiated individually by each production, it always includes a percentage of the box office.

[wonkit]

Posted: 12/18/09 at 12:30pm

If these workers are not full time and they are receiving health benefits of any kind, they are fortunate. Most employers do not provide benefits of any kind to employees who do not qualify as full time, and are generally not required by law to do so. If the employers are finding that the health care costs are higher than expected (which they always are), it is hard to justify providing a benefit that may equal or exceed the pay scale. Especially for unskilled workers where you don't have to worry about the cost of re-training replacements. Harsh, but just the realistic economics of employment.

[trombonist]

Posted: 12/18/09 at 1:36pm

Per article on here now.

Basically here is the additional paragraph:

Under the terms of the new contract, which will begin in 2010, the Broadway League will make weekly contributions to the 32BJ League Pension Fund, and also continue to provide employer-paid family healthcare coverage. In addition, workers will receive a dollar an hour pay raise, equaling a 6.2 percent raise.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 12/18/09 at 2:28pm

Good for them and thanks for the update, trombonist.

[dreamz]

Posted: 12/18/09 at 5:17pm

I am one of the Broadway cleaners and first of all this strike vote was not because of a pay increase. You all don't know everything about what was going on. We wanted money in our pension (which the employers haven't contributed in over 15 years)also they wanted to cut our health benefits. Broadway is not suffering from the economy the numbers are in black and white. We were only fighting for what is right. We're not making a thousand a week like others in the theater but we deserve what we make. Keeping the theater (front of house and backstage) is not easy people are pigs when they don't have to pick up after themselves (As alot of you might know if your theater goers) most patrons throw there garbage on the floors before leaving a show. If it wasn't for the porters and cleaners these theaters would be running with roaches, mice and rats. As for us not being full time employees should not matter the employers hired us as a union member not someone off the street. They know what there in for when it comes to unions.

[zerose]

Posted: 12/20/09 at 9:43am

Were the members of this union the ones responsible for getting up bright & early this morning and clearing snow from the sidewalks in front of their respective theaters? If so, kudos to them. I'm glad they've reached a tentative agreement with the Broadway League.

[Justin_Hall]

Posted: 12/20/09 at 2:10pm

OMG!!!!

How will we ever find out seats without help? And who will distibute the playbills?

Thank god this has been worked out.

[dreamz]

Posted: 12/20/09 at 11:24pm

Justin Hall wrong union your thinking thats the ushers union local 306. There next though they are working now without a contract.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 12/21/09 at 11:47am

"OMG!!!!

How will we ever find out seats without help? And who will distibute the playbills?

Thank god this has been worked out."

You're an idiot. First, the ushers don't clean the theater, and this is anentirely different union.

Second, You'd be absoultely amazed at how many people have no idea where they are going insode the theater.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/21/09 at 12:12pm

Second, You'd be absoultely amazed at how many people have no idea where they are going insode the theater.

Ain't that the truth! Especially since different theatres number seats and identify rows, seats, and sections in completely different ways. It's not as if most people really look at their tickets for any information beyond possibly the row and seat number. Plus, there is the issue of duplicate seating, people arriving on the wrong nights, bad behavior, etc. Ushering may not be the hardest job in the world, which is why it doesn't pay as well as most other positions in the theatre, but believe me, without them, they would be sorely missed and the houses would be mass chaos without so much as the presence of some sort of authority figures scattered about the place.

[Justin_Hall]

Posted: 12/21/09 at 4:22pm

Updated On: 12/21/09 at 04:22 PM