Parent union gives strike blessing

Parent union gives strike blessing

	Published : Sat, 10 Nov 2007 07:25 By : Agencies Print this Story

NEW YORK (AP) - Broadway prepared Friday for a possible shutdown after stagehands received the authorization from its parent union for a strike.

Now the question is if -- or when -- Local One will walk out against the League of American Theatres and Producers, darkening most of the plays and musicals on Broadway.

Both sides held two days of unproductive meetings Wednesday and Thursday, reportedly contentious negotiations that were observed by Thomas C. Short, international president of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.

Local One needed permission from Short to strike and on Thursday, its president, James J. Claffey Jr., got it. A union spokesman declined comment on the situation, but on its Web site, the Local said, 'The international president will advise President Claffey as to the time and date when the strike will begin.'

Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of the league, said Friday it had 'not received notice of any proposed strike date. In the event a strike is called, please be assured that all affected ticket holders can receive an exchange or full refund.'

If the stagehands walk out, most Broadway theaters would go dark except for such nonprofits as the Roundabout Theatre Company, and several non-League theaters housing such shows as 'Young Frankenstein,''Mary Poppins' and 'Xanadu.'

No new negotiations have been scheduled. The union has been without a contract since the end of July. The two sides have been wrangling over work rules and staffing requirements, particularly during the expensive process of loading a show into a theater.

November is a crucial month for Broadway, leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, the most profitable time of the year for shows. In addition, this month will see the opening of several plays, including Aaron Sorkin's 'The Farnsworth Invention' and 'August: Osage County,' a critically acclaimed play from Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company.