Broadway on strike by Claudia Sonea

Local 1, the stagehands union, has decided to go on strike affecting thousands of actors, musicians, ushers, ticket takers and concession sellers who work in dozens of shuttered theaters. Although the strike is in its second week no negotiations were planned between the union and the League of American Theatres and Producers, therefore no one knows how long it will last. The main reason that fails the two to get to an agreement despite the fact that they spent more than 13 hours Saturday, 18 November, and for 11 hours the next day is the number of stagehands (scenery and prop handlers, carpenters, electricians and lighting and sound technicians) needed to open a Broadway show and keep it running. The union's demands were mostly related to a fair contract, the number of employees and their retributions and respect of the employer. More than 27 shows were canceled and the truth is that the stagehands are the ones suffering the most. Steve Armour, who plays the trombone in the orchestra of The Drowsy Chaperone, confesses that even though they are receiving strike benefits that are a fraction of their regular pay, it is still hard and he has to cut expenses because from earning $700 or $800 a week, he's now paid with $30 a show. Steve Kenyon, who plays woodwinds, also complaints that due to the strike what should have been the busiest and therefore the best paid week ever is now transformed in a nightmare of worries about health plan running dry and finding other jobs. Ushers, wardrobe assistants, box-office clerks and press agents are also affected by the strike. According to the statement of Gordon Forbes, secretary-treasurer of the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers, 150 of his members are affected, including house managers, press agents, company managers and marketing specialists who are paid half of what they would have got if there wouldn't have been any strike. Jerry Mitchell, director-choreographer of Legally Blonde and choreographer of Hairspray, said it is hard because he's not being paid for the shows during the strike and his income was reduced in half. The feeling that this strike is not a good solution haunts most of the people that are picketing or not with the union. Stay connected and surf to see what solution they find!

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20071121/ap_tr_ge/travel_brief_broadway_labor_scraping_by;_ylt=Atw3cFhsAEljzUPxCtqcCwqs0NUE

by Claudia Sonea for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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edited by Barbora Matulova