“On October 9, 2007, the League of American Theatres and Producers and Local One, a New York local of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (I.A.T.S.E.), presented each other with final offers. Unfortunately, the Union rejected the League’s offer, and its offer failed to meet any of the League’s primary objectives. In light of this impasse, the League today took the next logical and responsible step available to achieve a fair contract by implementing portions of its final offer. The implemented provisions will govern how work will be performed going forward. Nothing will be implemented before October 22, 2007.
“Our goal has been and remains to achieve a fair contract that does not require us to hire and pay for workers we don’t need who have no work to perform. It is our strong preference to have a contract with Local One, and the implemented portions of the final offer at least give us some of the flexibility we need.
“We are forced to implement because Local One will not pursue meaningful change. They not only rejected our offer; they submitted a counter-offer which would make matters worse by requiring even more nonproductive hiring. During the life of the contract, under these provisions, costs for new musicals would rise by 30% and for plays would rise by 44%. This is indefensible in an industry with a financial failure rate of 80% in which only one in five productions recoups its costs.
“We have moved a long way to address the Union’s concerns. But we have not and will not yield on the basic principle: archaic work rules that jeopardize the industry’s health must be reformed. Our final offer would make sure that Broadway stagehands continue to be the most highly paid in the theater industry. But we need, at the same time, to protect and preserve the industry that provides for their own livelihood and the well-being of all the creative people who work on Broadway.
“Our goal remains achieving a fair and balanced contract for the industry, the theater-going public and the city. We believe, at this critical time, this is the necessary and appropriate step to achieve that goal.”
Charlotte St. Martin
Executive Director
League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc.
