Union Okays Broadway Strike
The Broadway stagehands’ union has been granted authorization to strike by the international leadership of blanket union IATSE. Authorization from the head of IATSE is the final major step in calling a strike, following the strike approval granted by union membership last month. The go-ahead from the international, posted on the website of union Local One, came last night, after two days of contract renegotiations between the union and Rialto producers.
A rep for the union had no comment.
Local One president James J. Claffey has previously told union members that a strike would probably be timed to begin in December, thereby hitting producers during the holidays, the Rialto’s most profitable time. But the timeline could conceivably be pushed up.
A work stoppage would darken the majority of Broadway shows.
Local One and the League of American Theaters and Producers have been locked in contentious labor negotiations for several weeks. Talks broke down last month, but were reconvened in a meeting Wednesday that lasted late into the night, followed by a Thursday meeting that lasted until approximately 7 p.m.
