The Strike May Get Worse

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 6:11pm

First of all, both sides are at fault

The league should never had started imposing the new work rules & both sides are guilty of not resolving this months ago. The union also should have waited until January. It still would have hurt but would not have wrought the ecomonic devastation that is going on. The game of chicken has to end now.

Even if they settle, it will take time to get things up & running. The longer it goes on the more shows will close. In addition, it will require more rehearsal of those shows still left standing after the smoke clears.

If it totally wipes out the whole holiday season, than we go into January. After that, things will be so out of hand that it will be like a train going downhill. It could very well happen.

This strike may very well change Broadway as we know it & will change the theater landscape for years to come.

Any thoughts or comments?

[BroadwayBen]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 6:15pm

This is on another website. It is alleged to be from The League.

We are extremely disappointed that we have been unable to reach agreement with Local One. During talks last Sunday, we offered significant concessions, and there was cause for optimism in the room, which makes the current impasse all the more frustrating.

We continue to believe strongly that the contract must be modernized. Archaic and inflexible work rules need to be changed. The industry’s future and the economic well-being of all who work on Broadway depend on it.

However, we recognized that such change can’t happen overnight. That is why we withdrew many of our original proposals and agreed to keep most of the work rules intact, in an effort to get a deal.

· We dropped the request to eliminate paying a flyman -- at $160,000 a year -- who has no work to do.
· We dropped the request that Carpentry Department employees could assist each other, which forces us to hire more people than we need.
· We wanted to be able to hire two additional stagehands until two weeks after opening to help the show work out the glitches. We even agreed to pay more to them than the regular crew. The Union said “no,” only one can be hired, and we said, “OK”.

In addition, the few changes we asked for are reasonable:

· The ability to start a four hour work call or rehearsal at 2:30 pm rather than 1:00 pm, to permit us to also set up for that night’s show. The Union said “no.”
· The ability to do a two hour paid call before the show or a one hour paid call after the show to do certain limited work. The Union said “no.”
· We now pay more than $60 an hour, 8 hours per week, to mop a stage – even if it’s mopped only once. We offered $25,000 to every stagehand who mops, in exchange for reducing the rate by half, to more than $30 per hour for mopping. The Union said “no.”

The last proposal we presented on Sunday reflected a gradual approach and contained compensation increases of over 20% for the next five years. Most in the room, on both sides of the table, sensed that a deal was achievable. That hope was dashed when local leadership countered with an offer that, instead of building on the positive momentum, moved backward.

Saddest of all, most of Broadway remains dark, and people in the industry and those who depend on it are suffering needless economic hardship.

The facts are available if you want to learn more. Ask your union leaders and we will be happy to respond to their questions.

[BroadwayBen]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 6:27pm

Does anyone know if this statement is real? I just read the letter to the Equity members.

[amasis]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 6:27pm

BroadwayBen, could you provide a link to the site?
Updated On: 11/20/07 at 06:27 PM

[StageFan2]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 6:30pm

I read the same message on the Live Broadway site.

www.livebroadway.com

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 6:31pm

I have to agree Mr Roxy. Critics have been predicting this for years, and now,
I think the death of Broadway may very well be upon us.

Updated On: 11/20/07 at 06:31 PM

[roadguy]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 6:31pm

"Any thoughts or comments?"

Yeah why start another thread making comments you've already made elsewhere???

What website did all this information come from?? The industry's future and the economic well-being of all who work on Broadway depend on it.... When prices of tickets go up why should the paycheck go down?? Cost of living goes UP as life goes on.

BroadwayBen, where did your information come from?? None of the comments make sense...

[Taka]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 6:32pm

???


?


Now I'm just plain confused.

[amasis]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 6:35pm

Found the links.

Open letter to employees: http://www.livebroadway.com/editor_files/Open_letter_employees_11-20.pdf

Open letter to actors & stage managers:
http://www.livebroadway.com/editor_files/Open_letter_AEA_11-20.pdf

If nothing else, you'd have to admit that League is doing a better PR campaign.

Updated On: 11/20/07 at 06:35 PM

[BroadwayBen]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 6:36pm

Jeez...Don't shoot the messenger. Here's the link:

[NJluvstheatre]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 6:36pm

As I keep saying... A Union free Broadway is not far away... If this is what the Unions are going to keep doing, the producers will have no choice..

[Taka]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 6:38pm

Don't give up hope yet. "Always look on the bright side of life". "Look for the silver lining." And all that crap.

[BroadwayBen]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 6:38pm

Can someone from Local 1 respond to this? I'd like to hear/read their side.

[lakezurich]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 6:39pm

Does anyone know if/when Local One might ask for a nationwide strike to show solidarity?

[Taka]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 6:41pm

Please don't think like that lake. If it really comes down to that, then I don't know what will happen. If they do call that, will that include "Off Broadway"?

[lakezurich]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 6:49pm

I was wondering the same thing, would it still be only Broadway shows, or would Off be affected too. And I had to ask because me and my friend have tickets to see Jersey Boys in early Jan. in Chicago.

[Dover]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 7:00pm

If this is true, then it sounds like the League actually came to their senses. Aside from the rule about making the work call at 2:30 (causing the crew to lose their dinner breaks, if I'm reading it right), I think this sounds pretty reasonable.

It should never have gotten this far in the first place, and for that I blame the League, but if the Local wouldn't accept this, they're just being stubborn.

[Taka]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 7:19pm

I'm with BroadwayBen. I'd like to hear Local One's point of view, too.

[localonecrew]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 8:44pm

i would respond to that statement but i try to refrain from validating nonsense.

[Taka]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 8:53pm

Please respond. I heard one side, and I want to hear both sides.

[BroadwayBen]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 9:05pm

I agree. C'mon Localoneguy...I have no real opinion here, other than the whole situation is terrible for ticket buyers. I would like to read your reply/thoughts to the League's letter.

[roadguy]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 9:11pm

How does this make any sense???

A.)"We now pay more than $60 an hour, 8 hours per week, to mop a stage – even if it’s mopped only once. We offered $25,000 to every stagehand who mops, in exchange for reducing the rate by half, to more than $30 per hour for mopping. The Union said “no.”"

$60 an hour times 8 hours a week times 52 weeks equals $24960. They offered $25k in exhange for reducing some rate by half?? Why would they offer to pay $25k plus a little more than $30/hour to a stagehand that mops??

B.)· We dropped the request to eliminate paying a flyman -- at $160,000 a year -- who has no work to do.

Flymen don't make over $3000 a week working on one shows worth of show calls.

C.)· We wanted to be able to hire two additional stagehands until two weeks after opening to help the show work out the glitches. We even agreed to pay more to them than the regular crew. The Union said “no,” only one can be hired, and we said, “OK”.

The League wants to hire two stagehands to work out bugs during the opening of a show but the union said no you can only hire one?? Hmmmmmm... This makes the least sense out of everything...

[localonecrew]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 9:19pm

mop calls do not cost what they say it does. plus the stage has to be mopped before preset. no one can set up the stage or warm up if it is wet.
their claims are nonsense in this regard.

flymen dont make that much money. as for them having no work to do, nonsense.

finally, you are going to get a guy to work a load-in. stay through tech and previews, open the show, and then tell him "see ya later"? shows generally load-in around the same time so now you have eliminated his chance to get a job on another show. load-ins, techs, rehearsals, and previews last for weeks. they have plenty of time to figure out how many guys they need.
Updated On: 11/20/07 at 09:19 PM

[bk]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 9:27pm

I will say that localonecrew's response makes total sense, and that the League's letter, while seemingly making specific points, doesn't make much sense at all. In fact, it makes me question if it really came from the League - it seems weird to me. Has anyone verified it? I mean, I suppose anyone could dummy up something like that. But if it did come from the League, it's really odd.

[BrianS]

Posted: 11/20/07 at 9:30pm

There are so many cherry-picked numbers being thrown around by both sides about who makes what. It sucks, but since this whole thing has crippled Broadway, I wish one of the sides would throw the rest of us a bone and release the actual numbers of what these guys are making. Then it would be pretty obvious who is taking advantage of who. (I can't be bothered to look up the who/whom rule right now)

I can't imagine very many people who would be against the union if most of them were making less than $80k/year working 52 weeks for refusing to concede and I can imagine very few people who would side with the union if most of them are pulling in $100k+ working 52 weeks and refusing to concede a little.

Updated On: 11/20/07 at 09:30 PM