The impact of COBUG/unions on Broadway

[javero]

Posted: 4/27/06 at 2:16pm

I recall sometime back that 13 BWay-related bargaining units joined forces under one umbrella, the Coalition of Broadway Unions and Guilds (COBUG). Does anyone believe that the tactic was effective or that it simply created another layer of bureaucracy tantamount to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in another context? Also, does anyone know if the use of musicians that are illegal aliens/undocumented workers has posed problems within the jurisdiction of AFM's local 802 which covers NYC, specifically as it relates to theatrical productions? Nothing about this inquiry is intended to be mean-spirited. I'm researching the history of organized labor in the context of theater in metro DC and wanted to draw parallels between DC & NYC.