STRIKE!
As you probably know, the stagehands' union, I.A.T.S.E. Local 1, are on strike darkening many of Broadway's theaters. Today I picked up a flier from one of the strikers being handed out in front of the Palace Theater where Legally Blond is playing. The flier says:We are Local One, the stagehands who work behind the scenes for all the shows on Broadway. We truly regret that there is no show.As a union actor I have to support my fellow union members in this strike. These are the regular working stiffs who truly make the magic happen on stage every night. We actors wouldn't look or sound very good without them.
Theatre owners and producers are demanding a 38% cut in our jobs and wages. They have built a $20 million fund to be used against us from the sale of theatre tickets to the public.
Broadway is a billion dollar industry and has never been more profitable than now.
Cuts in our jobs and wages will never result in a cut in ticket prices to benefit the public, but only an increase in the profits for producers.
Unlike the producers, we are not fighting for our second or third homes; we are fighting to keep the one that we have.
We ask for you understanding in our efforts to defend ourselves and protect our families.
Sincerely,
The brothers and sisters of Local One, I.A.T.S.E.
Labels: New Yorkana, Theatre
posted by Michael @ 4:35 PM
1 Comments:
Yet there is more than one side to the story. I have also been a union actor. That does not mean that all union actions are correct. There are many grandfathered stipulations in these union contracts that are outdated causing some shows to be overstaffed. Some minimum requirements do need to be changed. Not all producers are raking in the dough. And, don't forget, without intrepid producers who are responsible to ever-growing numbers of investors, there would be no Broadway shows to hire anyone.
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