 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2003-02-27 13:21
Latest news on negotiations on Broadway from the NY Daily News:
"New York Daily News - http://www.nydailynews.com
B'way set to go live - on tape
The show must go on - even if the orchestra doesn't.The casts of all Broadway musicals are being required to rehearse with computerized canned tunes this week in case of a possible musicians strike next week, a spokesman for theater producers said yesterday.Contract talks between the League of American Theatres and Producers and the 10,000-member American Federation of Musicians Local 802 are essentially deadlocked, sources said, with just a week to go before the current pact expires.The main sticking point is that producers want to eliminate a longstanding union rule that requires Broadway theaters staging musicals to hire a minimum number of musicians - ranging from three to 26.The producers "are continuing to hold that gun to our heads," said Local 802 President Bill Moriarity. "With that situation in effect, I don't know how we can make progress in this negotiation."Moriarity contended that the move is a cost-cutting strategy to whittle down the number of musicians on Broadway.But Jed Bernstein, president of the theater league, said the issue is "about the creative team and the producers having the ability to hire the number of people that a piece needs."The union has scheduled a strike authorization vote for rank-and-file members Saturday evening, Local 802 officials said.Broadway actors have been told by producers they must rehearse with the virtual orchestras or face a court order, said a spokesman for Equity, the stage actors union."
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
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Author: Anon
Date: 2003-02-27 13:26
Got a quick glimpse of you all on the Today Show! Way to go - wish I could have been there!
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2003-02-27 13:39
So did we here in OK, only a few bars tho. Hang in there!! Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: William
Date: 2003-02-27 15:29
Also saw you all on the Today Show--Yea!!!!!!!!!
Have you considered gaining the support of the stage hands and actors unions as well. Certainly, the actors/singers must be in accord with our concerns for continued quality musical theater production with live music.
One of the main contributing factors to the success of our local all-city teachers strike in the mid-seventies, was the fact that we gained the media support of our local fire and police unions (they had similar bargaining concerns) AND we organized the substitue teachers that served our district and made them members of our own teachers bargaining unit. As members of our teachers bargaining union, the substitue teachers subsequently also joined in the strike and were "not available" when the districts office called them to work during our two week "absences." We did win all of the issues on the barganing table and were issued retroactive paychecks for days missed (which we later had to make up via an extended school year).
My point is that there is strength in numbers and that an alliance with the actors, stage hands, composers, copyright owners, concessions and even area business (resturants) that benefit from the draw of the "downtown" theater would certainly add strength to the musicians voices (opps, instruments).
(if one shakes the tree hard enough, even the strongest nuts have to eventually fall--the more "shakers" the more nuts)
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2003-02-27 15:45
Thanks for your support, William:
Your question:
"My point is that there is strength in numbers and that an alliance with the actors, stage hands, composers, copyright owners, concessions and even area business (resturants) that benefit from the draw of the "downtown" theater would certainly add strength to the musicians voices (opps, instruments). "
The answer is:
Unfortunately Equity, the Actor's Union, has a "No strike clause" in their contract, so they must work with the machines. It's been there for years. We do have other Unions behind us, but the Actors can't help much, although they have been great in their pro-live music ads on the media and our website. All the other Unions are behind us, along with businesses, composers, arrangers, copyists, conductors, and the downtown theatre district.
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2003-02-28 01:09
Hi All,
There is an interesting piece on about the negotiations on All Things Considered this evening. Unfortunately, I felt it was somewhat, no very, anti-union. Any one else catch it?
However, there seemed to be a strong suggestion that other unions would probably not cross a picket line should things come to that
HRL
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2003-02-28 03:29
I heard it as well on my way to rehearsal. I thought it was a bit anti-union as well. But then I remembered it was NPR. Seems like they couched it as union vs. union, and one of them had to be on the short end of their bias.
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2003-02-28 22:09
From today's NY Post:
http://www.nypost.com/cgi-bin/printfriendly.pl
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
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Author: William
Date: 2003-03-01 15:32
"Unfortunately Equity, the Actor's Union, has a "No strike clause" in their contract"
It was "against the law", contractually and by State law in the mid seventies, for teachers to engage in work slowdowns and strikes in our state, but we walked out never the less!!! And our collective "job action" ultimately gauranteed certain bargaining rights which included an arbitration process which insured future fairness for both sides of our labor negotiations table--and which would make future strikes unnecessary. It took a lot of personal courage for some of our teachers (one, from my school, who had been "on the job" for 30+ yrs) to put their entire careers "on the line", but out of a work force of almost 2,000 teachers, less than 25 crossed our picket lines that cold January morning of 1977.
SOMEBODY, GET THE HOOK!!!! (and get him off this cyborstage)
My point is that if the actors, singers and dancers truely care about the continued quality of their musical productions with live music, they could certainly play the "big cards" in refusing to work with nothing less than the best musicians in "the pits." That would be a most effective way to get the attention of theater management, both at the box office (with the stage lights dark and no money coming in) and from the regular audience cliental demanding, "I bought my season tickets, where's the show???" The real keys to resolving the future of the Broadway pit orchestras may be in the hands of the members of Equity and how important they feel the future of live musical accompaniment is to their own artistic efforts on stage.
Perhaps it might be time for your fellow ators to get out there and really "break a leg"--of management, that is................
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