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

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!

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.

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.

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.

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"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.

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.

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.

OMG!!!!

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

Thank god this has been worked out.

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"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.

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