As BroadwayWorld has been reporting all month, there is a chance that sometime in the near future, the show won’t go on. That’s because two of Broadway’s biggest unions, Actors’ Equity Association and Local 802 AFM (Broadway musicians) were in the process of negotiating new working contracts with the Broadway League.
Saturday morning, we’re excited to report news from Equity that one deal has been tenatively reached. They shared the following statement from Executive Director Al Vincent, Jr., lead negotiator in the union’s negotiations with The Broadway League for a new Production Contract:
“After a marathon mediation session lasting until 6 a.m., Equity and The Broadway League have reached a tentative agreement on the Production Contract. This three-year agreement saves the Equity-League Health Fund while also making strides in our other priorities including scheduling and physical therapy access. Now we will bring the deal to our members for ratification, and in the meantime, we are putting our full support behind AFM Local 802 as they work with the League to reach a deal that averts a strike.”
Who is going on strike and why?
No one has called for a strike quite yet. Actors’ Equity Association, representing more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers, has argued for new a Broadway contract that ensures safe staffing, humane scheduling, sustainable working conditions, and paying fair share of benefits.
Local 802, representing thousands of highly skilled musicians in New York City, is bringing similar issues to the table: fair wages that reflect Broadway’s success; stable health coverage; and employment and income security.
What is the timeline of events?
August 31, 2025: Broadway musician contract expires.
September 28, 2025: Equity production contract expires.
October 9, 2025: Congress signs a letter urging the League and the unions to come to an agreement to avoid a strike.
October 10, 2025: Following mediated negotiations, some progress is made between the Broadway League and Equity, but the parties remain “very far apart on some of our most pressing issues,” Equity Executive Director Al Vincent Jr. told Deadline.
October 13, 2025: Broadway musicians vote 98% in favor of authorizing a strike if needed. Negotiations continue.
October 15, 2025: Equity representative tells BroadwayWorld: “We are continuing to prepare for a strike even as we hope to reach a resolution at the table. Picketing signs are en route, but not yet in the process of being delivered to members.”
An inside source at 802 told BroadwayWorld: “Broadway musicians work incredibly hard night after night for audiences around the world. Local 802 is working hard to negotiate a fair contract even as producers hand us proposals that would lower musicians’ wages and reduce their healthcare coverage. Just a few days ago, Broadway musicians overwhelmingly voted by 98% to authorize a strike if it becomes necessary. Planning for a possible strike is separate from pulling musicians from theaters, but it’s only prudent for us to be prepared if talks break down. We hope it doesn’t come to that and we continue to fight at the bargaining table for fair raises, stable health care and no cuts.”
October 17, 2025: Mediated Equity/League negotiations set to resume.
October 18, 2025: Per Equity, one deal has been been tenatively reached.
Which shows could be affected by a strike?
31 shows are currently running on Broadway. If 802 calls for a strike, all Broadway musicals will go dark except for Ragtime, which operates under a different not-for-profit contract with Lincoln Center Theater.
If Equity was to go on strike, 26 shows will be affected- all but Mamma Mia! and Beetlejuice (touring contracts), Punch and Ragtime (not-for-profit contracts), and Little Bear Ridge Road (separate contract with Scott Rudin).
Off-Broadway shows, national tours, and regional productions will not be affected by a strike.
When was the last time Broadway went on strike?
If a strike occurs, this wouldn’t be the first time that Broadway has shut down due to labor strikes. Jennifer Ashely Tepper touched on the subject in BroadwayWorld Deep Dive. She writes:
Actors Equity Strikes are one example of when Broadway has completely ground to a halt. Fighting for fair wages and treatment, Actors Equity has struck in 1919 (one month), 1960 (11 days), 1964 (1 day) and 1968 (3 days).
The Strike of 1919 was actually responsible for forming Actors Equity as we know it today. Prior to 1919, actors were treated horrifically; they were forced to add extra performances without compensation, pay for their own costumes, rehearse without salary, work without warning of unemployment, travel without any promise of fare home, and more. In fact, the high volume of actors who were stranded in cities far from home during the 1918 pandemic was one episode that led to the 1919 uprising. The stars of Broadway stood hand in hand with everyone who worked in the theatre, and after a month-long shut-down and lots of drama, Broadway reopened on different terms. (The Actors Equity Strike of 1919 is one of my favorite topics I wrote about in my book series The Untold Stories of Broadway-you can read a longer version of the story in volume 3.)
Musician Strikes have also shut down Broadway. For 25 days in 1975 and 4 days in 2003, Local 802 struck, demanding fair contracts. In 2003, the musicians union fought for orchestra minimums, when the League proposed lower orchestra sizes be allowed in Broadway theaters. At the time, the Cabaret revival was playing a different contract than most Broadway shows, so it remained open during the strike. There have been several strikes where one or two shows have been in this position: the only production(s) open amid an industry-wide shutdown.
The Stagehand Strike of 2007 shut down Broadway for 18 days. IATSE, the stagehands union, had never struck before, in the history of Broadway. The terms they struck over involved load-in, overtime, and wages. One show in an odd position during the 2007 stagehand strike was Dr. Seuss‘ How The Grinch Stole Christmas. The show had their opening night, and the next morning, the strike began. Grinch was on a different contract than the majority of Broadway, but their stagehands struck in solidarity with IATSE. Since the production was a limited engagement, the company spent about a third of their run on strike.
