Re: Broadway Musicians Strike

Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2003 15:30:53 GMT
Newsgroups: alt.fan.letterman
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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=529&ncid=529&e=1&u=/ap/20030311/ap_en_bu/broadway_strike
Broadway Musicians, Producers Reach Deal NEW YORK - (AP) Striking musicians settled a contract dispute with
theater producers Tuesday to end a walkout that shut down 18 musicals
since Friday, agreeing to a smaller number of musicians in the largest
Broadway theaters.
"We have great news," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "Broadway is no
longer dark."
Both sides said that after four days without the shows, the theaters
would reopen Tuesday night. "We went out together, and we're going
back together," said union head Bill Moriarity.
The dispute that led to Friday's strike was over minimums, the
smallest number of musicians required for a Broadway orchestra. That
figure is set by the size of the theater, with the largest houses
currently requiring 24 to 26 musicians. The union agreed to reduce the minimum in the 13 largest theaters to
18 or 19 musicians. Although the new contract is for four years, the
minimum number will remain in effect for a decade, Moriarity said. "While we have made some reductions in the house minimum, we have
preserved live Broadway," Moriarity said. "We will continue to provide
the best music you will ever hear in your life." The two sides bargained for nearly 12 hours through the night at the
mayoral mansion. The mayor, citing Broadway's enormous contributions
to the city economy, became personally involved in the talks at Gracie
Mansion. "This was an extremely difficult negotiation," said Jed Bernstein,
speaking for the theater owners. "Neither side got everything it
wanted." The strike began after talks between the League of American Theatres
and Producers and Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians
broke down. When actors and stagehands refused to cross the picket
lines, all but one of Broadway's 19 musicals were shuttered. The impasse has cost city businesses more than $7 million, with
weekend box office losses estimated at another $4.8 million. The
losses come at a particularly bad time for a city struggling with high
unemployment and massive deficits. The producers initially demanded no minimums, then offered seven.
They raised that on Friday to 15 for the biggest theaters, but the
musicians' union refused the proposal. The union feared the loss of minimums, saying that producers are
really seeking to slash the number of musicians for economic reasons.
Musicians say they need staff minimums to help protect artistic
freedom. The battle was being waged on already shaky economic ground, said
Jonathan Tisch, chairman of the city's agency for tourism. He warned
of "significant job losses" if the strike is not resolved. Broadway's total economic contribution to the city is estimated at
more than $4 billion yearly, tourism and theater officials say. If there was a bright spot to the strike, it was that tourists and
New Yorkers determined to go to the theater turned to off-Broadway
shows and non-musical plays not affected by the strike. ___ On the Net: League of American Theatres and Producers: http://www.broadway.org American Federation of Musicians: http://www.afm.org