IATSE and Broadway League Reach Deal to Avert Theater Shutdown
Stage workers’ union IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) and The Broadway League and Disney Theatrical—which represent Broadway and national tour producers—have reached a tentative deal, potentially averting a strike that would have immediately shut down Broadway.
The newly agreed terms now go to 1500 IATSE members, who work across 45 theatrical shows, with 28 productions on Broadway and 17 on tour, to vote on.
The news of the deal came after a strike authorization vote had been called Wednesday over IATSE's Pink Contract, which includes a number of professions, including stagehands, hair and make-up artists, wardrobe staff, and more employed directly by productions. Had the strike gone ahead, Broadway and national tour productions would have immediately ceased operations—and Broadway workers would have joined Hollywood’s actors and writers on the summer picket lines.
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On Thursday morning in a joint statement, The Broadway League and IATSE said: “The Broadway League and Disney Theatrical and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees announced they have reached a tentative agreement for the ‘Pink Contract,’ Thursday, pending ratification by the bargaining unit. The respective parties will inform their members of the details of this agreement in the coming days.”
A theater insider with knowledge of the negotiations told The Daily Beast: “There’s no strike. They reached a deal at 1 a.m. in the morning. It needs to be ratified by IATSE members, but their negotiating team accepted it. The major sticking point was a 21% increase in pay. IATSE have agreed to a lesser amount.”
The Daily Beast understands that there is optimism on both sides that IATSE members will accept the negotiated terms, although if they don’t, “we will return to the table,” one source told The Daily Beast.
One Broadway producer told The Daily Beast: “Nobody wants a strike, it’s not happening. This isn’t Hollywood. Theater and Broadway are still emerging from the pandemic. Yes, audience numbers are up, and people are doing well with their shows, but it’s not gangbusters—so a strike would have really alienated audiences more. Shutting down Broadway would have been a disaster.”
A spokesperson for The Broadway League told The Daily Beast she was not able to comment on specifics around the negotiations; IATSE did not return a request for comment.
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