Stage Hands' Union One Step Closer to Strike?

Broadway stage hands may be one step closer to a strike. The New York Times reports: "The Broadway stagehands' union received strike authorization from its parent union last night, and appeared to be on the verge of a walkout against the Broadway producers and theater owners."

This authorization comes two days after intense negotiations between Local One and the League of American Theaters and Producers.  According to a note posted on the Local One website last night, Thomas C. Short, President of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the parent union, would advise James J. Claffey, President of Local One, "as to the time and date when the strike will begin."

Unconfirmed rumors say the strike may be as soon as this weekend. Both Local One and The League have declined to comment. Though Alan Cohen, spokesperson for The League, said the league had not been notified of the union's decision.

A strike would cause nearly all Broadway houses to close their doors. A total of 35 shows are currently running on Broadway. The non-profit houses - plus the New Amsterdam (Mary Poppins), Helen Hayes Theatre (Xanadu), Hilton Theatre (Young Frankenstein) and Circle in the Square (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) – operate under separate contracts and would remain open.

Since July, the union and the League have been in rigorous contract negotiations, which came to a stand-still in October when both sides proposed their "final offers."

As explained by Campbell Robertson of The New York Times, "The producers have proposed loosening rules on when stagehands are needed for work, how many are needed and what tasks they are allowed to perform. The union has said that any alterations to the rules that would mean less work for stagehands needs to come with exchanges of equal value."