NEW YORK (WABC) — Broadway musicians have been without a contract since the end of August and if a settlement is not reached by Thursday morning, they say they will go on strike.
Both sides met with a mediator into the night on Wednesday in hopes of coming to an agreement.
The president of the union that represents musicians has said:
“On the heels of the most successful season in history, the Broadway League wants the working musicians and artists who fueled that very success to accept wage cuts, threats to healthcare benefits, and potential job losses. Faced with such an egregious erosion of their working conditions, Local 802 Broadway musicians and other artists are ready to leverage every ounce of their collective power, up to and including a strike.”
That would have a tremendous impact and likely shut down more than 20 Broadway shows.
Leonardo Reyna is part of the cast of “Buena Vista Social Club.” He spoke with Eyewitness News on Wednesday ahead of what could be one of his last performances before a strike.
“Even though I’m here contracted as an actor, I’m part of the union of musicians and my heart is always with the music,” Reyna said.
He said he knows what it means to be an actor and a musician.
“We have been for a long time here on Broadway giving our hearts to this project, to this music, to this show and it feels also fair to get in return the acknowledgment,” he said.
A letter sent to the Broadway League on Oct. 1 with demands was signed by nearly all 1,200 Broadway musicians.
The last major Broadway strike was in 2007 and was initiated by the stagehand union. It lasted 19 days and cost the city and show producers millions of dollars in lost revenue.
It also created a major disruption for theater-goers who now hope a looming strike can be averted.
The Broadway League issued the following statement:
“Good-faith negotiations happen at the bargaining table, not in the press,” said a spokesperson with The Broadway League. “We value our musicians and we are committed to working in good faith to get a fair contract done.”
If the musicians do walk, 23 different shows would be impacted (theater names are in parentheses):
Death Becomes Her (Lunt Fontanne)Just in Time (Circle in the Square)Maybe Happy Ending (Belasco)Queen of Versailles (St. James)
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