Broadway strike averted

Broadway and the touring theater community seem to have avoided a labor disruption like the one that has silenced the film and television industry.

The Broadway League and Disney Theatrical Productions, which represent producers, and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSDE) announced Thursday they had reached a tentative agreement that had threatened a strike as early as Friday.

About 1,500 workers — stagehands, hair and makeup artists, and wardrobe personnel — are directly covered by the tentative agreement, currently working on 28 productions on Broadway and 17 on tour.

The agreement still needs to be ratified. In a joint statement, the bargainers said: “The respective parties will inform their members of the details of this agreement in the coming days.”

The agreement is unconnected to the strike action roiling Hollywood. Leaders of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) voted unanimously last week to start striking, joining the Writers Guild of America, who walked out on May 2.

A strike would have been a hard hit for Broadway, which is still trying to recover being shut down for 18 months starting in March 20 due to the pandemic. The only strike in Broadway history occurred in 2007 when members of the IATSE took to the picket lines. That strike only lasted for 19 days.