Union Members Rally Against Metropolitan Opera Lockout and Pay Cuts

Hundreds of union members gathered in Lincoln Center this past Thursday to rally in opposition of the Metropolitan Opera's lockout of its stagehands and the recently announced 30 percent cut in pay for its workers. The New York Times reports.

Read the full story HERE.

The Metropolitan Opera recently announced that it had reached a deal with the union representing its chorus and other workers. In December, The Met locked out its stagehands amidst a labor dispute between the company and its union.

The Met offered to begin paying many employees up to $1,500 a week if their unions agree to long-term contracts that include a 30 percent cut in pay, but workers believed this to be unfair. This is when Peter Gelb, The Met's general manager, said that stage technicians and shop crew members represented by IATSE Local 1 would have their wages cut, and be unable to continue production of sets at Met facilities for the 2021 season.

"Regardless of the Met's plans, Local One is not going to work without a contract," James J. Claffey Jr., president of Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, said in an interview. "There's a lockout when you didn't need us, but when you really need us, it's going to transition from a lockout to a strike."

The Met revealed it a statement that it had "no desire to undermine" the unions it works with but that it had lost more than $150 million in earned revenues since the pandemic forced it to close its doors, and that it now needs to cut costs to survive.

Read the full story HERE.