Strike Coverage: Open Letters from The League & Producers

THE FOLLOWING ARE EXCERPTS FROM OPEN LETTERS DISTRIBUTED BY THE LEAGUE AND BROADWAY PRODUCERS, PROVIDING VIEWS FROM THEIR SIDE OF THE BARGAINING TABLE:

"Employee Letter 11-20.pdf" from the League of American Theatres and Producers:

We continue to believe strongly that the contract must be modernized. Archaic and inflexible work rules need to be changed. The industry's future and the economic well-being of all who work on Broadway depend on it. However, we recognized that such change can't happen overnight. That is why we withdrew many of our original proposals and agreed to keep most of the work rules intact, in an effort to get a deal.

•  We dropped the request to eliminate paying a flyman – at $160,000 a year – who has no work to do.
• We dropped the request that Carpentry Department employees could assist each other, which forces us to hire more people than we need.
• We wanted to be able to hire two additional stagehands until two weeks after opening to help the show work out the glitches. We even agreed to pay more to them than the regular crew. The Union said "no," only one can be hired, and we said, "OK".

In addition, the few changes we asked for are reasonable:

• The ability to start a four hour work call or rehearsal at 2:30 pm rather than 1:00 pm, to permit us to also set up for that night's show. The Union said "no."
• The ability to do a two hour paid call before the show or a one hour paid call after the show to do certain limited work. The Union said "no."
• We now pay more than $60 an hour, 8 hours per week, to mop a stage – even if it's mopped only once. We offered $25,000 to every stagehand who mops, in exchange for reducing the rate by half, to more than $30 per hour for mopping. The Union said "no."

The last proposal we presented on Sunday reflected a gradual approach and contained compensation increases of over 20% for the next five years. Most in the room, on both sides of the table, sensed that a deal was achievable. That hope was dashed when local leadership countered with an offer that, instead of building on the positive momentum, moved backward.

Saddest of all, most of Broadway remains dark, and people in the industry and those who depend on it are suffering needless economic hardship.

 

The League of American Theatres and Producers has provided their own Claim vs. Fact sheet: Details Here.

Actors' Equity has provided their own Myth vs. Fact sheet: Website Here.

 

An Open Letter from Broadway Producers to Our Actors and Stage Managers:

Hopefully, the League and Local One will do the work necessary to reach agreement, and soon enough this difficult episode will be behind us. And we will all return to doing what we all love – putting on our show. But as we move forward, we feel it is important that we share with you our thoughts regarding some of the allegations that have been aimed at us, and shared with you, by Actors Equity Association in the past week.

People go into business for many reasons, but the reason most of us chose the theater business is that one magic moment – conceived by the playwright, molded by a director, choreographer and designers, and brought to us by actors, the interpretive artists that became our inspiration, along with our talented musicians and stagecraft.

You are the reason most of us got into this business. The League and Equity will be negotiating our Production Contract next summer, and we will reach agreement, just as we always have. But while Equity appears to want to try to make you believe there is some grand plan to undermine your wages or opportunities to work, we would rather share with you what our true focus will be for our upcoming negotiations – to talk to you about how we make our business bigger and better. The Production Contract simply does not mandate the kind of reconsideration the Local One contract so desperately needs. How can we do a show without swings and understudies, as Equity has alleged we would do?

We are not going to convince you of anything today – the proof is in what we do. But before the recent vitriol aimed at us by Equity, we had no expectation that next summer's Production Contract negotiation would be difficult in any respect. We did not envision either party would have any sort of attitude or agenda suggested by Equity's recent claims.

Also we do not know why Equity has chosen to be a conduit for Local One's messaging. We are troubled by this, given that on two occasions our representatives have asked Equity to allow us to present to Equity Council, staff and you the League's perspectives on the Local One negotiation, and on both occasions we were rebuffed.

Why do they not want you to hear what we have to say? Next summer, we hope your Equity representatives will be willing to listen to what we say, and report it to you as we present it to them.

While shows come in and out of theaters, actors strive every day to get that show, to get that next gig. So do producers. It takes us three, five, sometimes seven years to bring a show to Broadway. That first show, that next show – that is what it's all about. No one is telling you that our interests are the same. But one thing is true – every day, together, we work to make our shows the best they can be. Every night, for every audience, you are up there delivering your talent. We just wanted to let you know we know it, and we appreciate it every day. Thanks for listening.