‘Hakuna Matata’ Finally Stops

Over in New York City, kids are crying because they can’t see "The Little Mermaid," tourists are left to amuse themselves in the Big Apple without more than two dozen Broadway shows and the city is losing money day by day.

The stagehands strike, which began at 10 a.m. November 10th, has closed 27 shows including "The Lion King," "Wicked," "Rent," "The Phantom of the Opera," "Jersey Boys" and "Mamma Mia."

The Local 1 union and the League of American Theaters released a joint news statement November 14th: "Talks have been scheduled between Local 1 and the League of American Theaters and Producers beginning this weekend, at an undisclosed place and time." Neither group would comment any further and as of press time, the announcement didn’t end the strike.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the announcement was important and added that he is willing "to help resolve these disagreements and let the shows go on." Bloomberg has offered a mediator and the use of Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York’s mayor, for negotiations, according to the New York Times.

Talks between the two groups began before the stagehands’ contract expired at the end of July. The last time they met was November 8th, the second of three meetings that had been scheduled by Thomas Short, the president of Local 1’s parent union, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.

Following the meeting, Short gave the union authority to strike.

The dispute between the union and the League of American Theaters comes down to how many stagehands are required to open a Broadway show and keep it running, from moving scenery, lights and props into the theatre to installing the set.

The old contract required theatres to hire at least four stagehands for plays: a carpenter, a property master, an electrician and the fourth individual can be either a sound technician, a fly man or a second stagehand. Musicals require four stagehands with the fly man being mandatory.

The league wants more flexibility with the work the stagehands do, and doesn’t want to hire four stagehands if they’re not all needed.

Charlotte St. Martin, the executive director for the League of Theatres and Producers, said, "Our goal is simple: to pay for workers we need and for work that is actually performed."

The union wants the rules governing how many stagehands are hired, how they work and for how long to stay in place. If rules are changed, they don’t want to lose any benefits.

"We are being attacked," James Claffey Jr., president of Local 1, said. "We’re fighting for our lives. … A middle-class job we’re trying to protect."

According to the New York Times, this is the second strike on Broadway in less than five years. In 2003, the four-day musicians’ strike was the first in almost three decades. City tourism officials said at the time that the musicians’ strike cost the city about $7 million a day.

Broadway is a $939 million industry that sold more than 12 million tickets last year. The strike has affected not only Broadway, but also the bars, restaurants, hotels, souvenir stores and pedicabs that cater to theatergoers.

The league said that theatergoers who’ve already bought their tickets can get refunds for canceled shows or exchange their tickets for the next available date.

Shows that have separate contracts with the union and are still in business include: "Young Frankenstein," "Mary Poppins," "Xanadu" and "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." Four shows playing at nonprofit theatres were also unaffected: "Pygmalion," "The Ritz," "Mauritius" and "Cymbeline."

If there is a winner in this, it’s off-Broadway shows, which were unaffected and seeing increased attendance.