Broadway Stagehands at Brink of Lock-Out?

The New York Times reports that "after two and a half months of sometimes contentious contract negotiations, the organization representing most of Broadway's producers and theater owners and the union representing stagehands are at an impasse, bringing most of Broadway to the brink of a shutdown."

The League of American Theaters and Producers have been in negotiations with Local One, the stagehands' union, since the end of July. But at 7PM on October 9, The League put its "final offer" on the table, prompting the union's response three hours later.

Negotiations are now at a stand-still, meaning a lockout is highly likely.  "The announcement of a final offer is one of the last steps before a bargaining group can call a work stoppage, which, in this case, would mean the theater owners' locking out the stagehands and leaving most Broadway theaters dark," states the article.

If a lockout occurs – which could start immediately or in the next several days – nearly all shows would be affected, and would have to close their doors.  The New Amsterdam Theatre (Mary Poppins), Studio 54 (The Ritz), The Biltmore Theatre (Mauritius), and The American Airlines Theatre (Pygmalion) would stay open, as they are operating nonleague theatres.

The last Broadway lockout occurred during the four-day musician's strike of 2003. 

For a complete report, including contract details and a list of Local One and The League negotiations as reported by The New York Times CLICK HERE (by Campbell Robertson, published October 10, 2007)