In brief
In a significant development, the American Federation of Musicians Local 802 reached a tentative labor agreement with Broadway producers, avoiding a potentially devastating strike. The deal includes wage increases and enhancements to health benefits. The agreement preserves access to healthcare for musicians and reinforces contract protections essential for their careers. This is the second labor agreement on Broadway within a week, following a similar deal for actors and stage managers. The unions have pointed to the flourishing box office performance of Broadway as justification for their demands.
NEW YORK (AP) — The union representing Broadway’s musicians reached a tentative labor agreement with commercial producers on Thursday, averting a potentially crippling strike that would have silenced nearly two dozen musicals.
The American Federation of Musicians Local 802 — which represents 1,200 musicians — had threatened to strike if they didn’t have a new contract by the morning, after going into mediation Wednesday.
Early Thursday, the union announced that it had struck a tentative deal that includes wage increases and contribution increases to the health fund. “This three-year agreement provides meaningful wage and health benefit increases that will preserve crucial access to healthcare for our musicians while maintaining the strong contract protections that empower musicians to build a steady career on Broadway,” AFM Local 802 President Bob Suttmann said in a statement.
The 23 shows that could have gone silent ranged from megahits like “Hamilton” and “The Lion King” to newcomers like “Queen of Versailles” and “Chess,” which are still in previews.
It was the second Broadway labor deal in less than a week. Labor tensions seemed to ease after Actors’ Equity Association — which represents over 51,000 members, including singers, actors, dancers, and stage managers — announced a new three-year agreement with producers over the weekend.
Members of both unions had been working under expired contracts. The musicians’ contract expired on Aug. 31, and the Equity contract expired Sept. 28.
The health of Broadway — once in doubt due to the coronavirus pandemic that shut down theaters for some 18 months — is now very good, especially in terms of box office. The 2024-2025 season took in $1.9 billion — the highest-grossing season in recorded history, surpassing the previous pre-pandemic high of $1.8 billion during the 2018-2019 season.
The unions pointed to the financial health of Broadway to argue that producers could afford to increase pay and benefits for musicians and actors. Producers, represented by The Broadway League, had countered that restoring Broadway's health could be endangered by potential ticket price increases needed to meet those demands.
The most recent significant strike on Broadway occurred in late 2007, when a 19-day walkout by stagehands dimmed the lights on more than two dozen shows and cost producers and the city millions in lost revenue.
On Wednesday, three U.S. senators from New York and New Jersey — Democrats Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker, and Andy Kim — wrote to both sides urging them to “participate in good faith negotiations and continued communication.” The senators noted that Broadway supports nearly 100,000 jobs and is an essential cornerstone in the economic well-being of surrounding businesses and sectors, including hospitality, retail, and transportation.
