This October, the musicians of Broadway began preparations for a strike, shutting down Broadway completely until they received what they wanted, which was a contract. For reference, ever since August 31st, the Broadway musicians had been operating without a formal contract. To fix this, they set a deadline; if an agreement was not reached, they would strike.
Bob Suttman, the president of Local 802, has this to say regarding the potential strike, “On the heels of the most successful season in history, the Broadway League wants the working musicians and artists who fueled that very success to accept wage cuts, threats to healthcare benefits, and potential job losses,” He continues, “Faced with such an egregious erosion of their working conditions, Local 802 Broadway musicians and other artists are ready to leverage every ounce of their collective power, up to and including a strike. Committing to anything less would mean sacrificing far too many hard-won gains.”
As of Thursday, October 23rd, AFM Local 802, also known as the American Federation of Musicians, came to an agreement with the Broadway League and Disney. While we do not know what was in the final contract, we do know what the union members wished to get from the strike.
The union demanded fair wages relative to the fact that they just had the most financially prosperous year in Broadway history. They also demanded stable health insurance and job security for Broadway workers due to the unstable state of the market currently.
It seems that since the union agreed to the agreement, they have received enough benefits to make not striking worth it. For those who follow Broadway, you will be happy to hear that no plays are set to close.
