Actors' Equity Association, the national union representative for theatrical actors and managers, has unanimously voted in approval of a strike against the Broadway League (the national trade association for commercial theater operators/owners, presenters, and general managers) last Saturday, Feb. 10.
Although the vote for the demonstration was made in regards to the development agreement with the league, the strike itself was not mobilized yet. Instead, the vote was a call for the allowance of a strike if ever the union deems it necessary amid the negotiation process.
History of the AEA and Broadway League Negotiation
The most recent strike the AEA realized was in 2019, which went on for a total of 33 days. It was similarly done because of the contract with the Broadway League on workshops and advanced readings of productions ahead of their proper opening on Broadway and elsewhere.
At the end of that particular strike, an agreement was struck that allows union members involved with a show's developmental efforts to receive 1 percent of the show's post-launch profits. In addition to that, the members were also entitled to a salary increase under the agreement.
The new rounds of negotiation started on Jan. 22 of this year, with the previous agreement expiring last Feb. 11. The 1 percent share will be retained during the recent negotiations, however, AEA is contending for a higher raise since the previous one was set for the standards of 2019.
Meanwhile, the Broadway League said that the developmental stage of the production process itself is not particularly lucrative.
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Conversation Surrounding the AEA's Mounting Strike
AEA Executive Director and Lead Negotiator Al Vincent, Jr. said in a press release: "We know that show development is work. This development work hopefully leads to successful shows, some of which have long lives with many iterations that can make a lot of money for producers."
"We know there is no revenue from the development sessions themselves, but it's still work, and that doesn't change whether there's revenue today or whether it's an investment producers are making against future profits. And that work must be appropriately compensated," he added.
The Broadway League itself released a statement in light of AEA's imminent strike, quoting its Executive VP of Labor Relations Jason Laks, "We have been engaged in good faith negotiations with Actors' Equity regarding development work."
Adding that: "These negotiations have no impact on any Broadway or touring productions. The contract we are negotiating covers only short-term employment in the early stages of development work on projects that may or may not ever become fully realized productions."
"As the Union itself has acknowledged, this work does not generate revenue for the producers. We look forward to returning to the bargaining table and continuing our efforts towards reaching an agreement," he concluded.
As of now, further negotiations are yet to be scheduled, with developmental work for productions still ongoing.
