Actors, stage managers and musicians may be on the verge of shutting down Broadway. The groups are negotiating their contracts with the Broadway League, which represents producers and theater owners. If they vote to strike, this would be the first Broadway strike since 2007 and could affect virtually every show on the Great White Way.
Why are the workers considering a strike?
Broadway’s two major labor unions are “simultaneously in negotiations for new contracts with the industry’s commercial producers,” also called the Broadway League, said The New York Times. The Actors’ Equity Association, which represents actors and stage managers, and the American Federation of Musicians Local 802, which represents musicians, “want a greater share of the revenue generated on Broadway ($1.89 billion in the 2024 to 2025 season) to go to the working people who make the shows happen,” said What’s On Stage.
Health care is another issue for both unions. The Actors’ Equity Association is “concerned about the financial health of its insurance plan, which it says is projected to face a deficit next year,” said the Times. The musicians’ union says that “health care costs are rising,” and that they “need more help from their employers to meet those costs.” The problem is amplified post-pandemic. “Somewhere in the neighborhood of 80% of all shows fail financially,” Howard Sherman, a contributor for “The Stage,” said to CBS News. “Those shows are built on people and those people need employment terms that allow them to live their lives.”
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In addition, contract negotiations are concerned with attendance requirements, specifically the hiring of more swings, understudies and backup musicians. Actors’ Equity also “wants new limits on how many performances in a row actors can be asked to do without a day off,” said the Times. The Broadway League, instead, wants to generally reduce absenteeism.
What happens if the unions go on strike?
While both unions voted to authorize a strike, it does not necessarily mean a strike will be called. Local 802 has continued to have “talks with the Broadway League over a new contract this week and the possibility of bringing in a mediator is also being discussed,” said The Hollywood Reporter. However, which shows would be affected depends on whether one or both unions go on strike. If Local 802 and Actors’ Equity both go on strike, then “every show on Broadway would shut down save for ‘Ragtime,’ ‘Punch’ and ‘Little Bear Ridge Road,’” said Playbill.
This is not the first time Broadway workers have gone on strike. “Stagehands walked off the job in 2007 (for 19 days), musicians in 1975 (25 days) and 2003 (four days), actors in 1968 (three days) and 1919 (a month),” said Newsday. But “this one would come at a precarious time — and just before Christmas.” Unfortunately, a “protracted strike would be bad for everyone — producers, performers, stagehands and consumers,” said What’s On Stage.
Mediated negotiation sessions are set to resume on October 17, 2025. “The work is intense, the schedules are grueling and we show up with extraordinary skill, passion and commitment,” said Actors’ Equity in a letter to the Broadway League. “Now we’re asking you to show up for us.”
