Broadway League Reaches Tentative Deal With Union Workers Avoiding Strike, Show Closures

usmagazine.com:

With a possible strike averted, Broadway theaters won’t be forced to leave their ghost lights on — for now.The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) — a union that represents more than 1,000 Pink Contract workers integral to stage productions — began voting to authorize a strike on Wednesday, July 19.

One day later, a temporary agreement was reached with management organizations The Broadway League and Disney Theatrical Productions.“The respective parties will inform their members of the details of this agreement in the coming days,” read a joint statement from the opposing groups on Thursday, July 20.Further information regarding the negotiation will be released at a later date, with IATSE members subsequently voting to ratify the new contract.

If the union rejects the proposed contract, a strike could once again be on the horizon.The deal was reached in the 11th hour, with management previously given a deadline of Friday, July 21, to bring an offer to the table.IATSE members are currently employed at 45 shows across the country — 28 of which are on Broadway.

Stagehands, makeup artists, hairstylists and wardrobe personnel are among those represented by the union’s Pink Contract. “These are the people who run so many vital backstage functions and without them there is no show,” a representative told CBS News.A strike would have forced the shutdown of nearly all current Broadway shows, including Hamilton, Wicked, Hadestown and The Book of Mormon.