While most of the media were either busy gurgling over the joy of Broadway theatergoers or regurgitating the “damage” done to the city by the 19-day stagehands strike, Michael Riedel of the New York Post got the story right when he wrote on November 30:

The seeds of the showdown were planted more than 10 years ago, when a group of aggressive producers, appalled at the amount of money it cost them to put on a show, decided to take on the unions one by one. They launched their first attack in 2003 against the musicians. After a four-day strike, the producers were able to reduce — but not eliminate the number of players they had to hire for a show. Three years ago, they went after the actors in an attempt to reduce the cost of touring companies. There was no strike, but the negotiations were nasty and protracted. On the sidelines, watching these clashes were the stagehands — the toughest union of all. They knew they were next.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/11302007/entertainment/theater/stage_was_set_for_bway_war_70632.htm

If the stagehands, members of Local 1 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, IATSE were forewarned about the intentions of the producers, the producers were shocked, shocked, shocked at the solidarity of the stagehands. The League of American Theaters and Producers arrogantly walked out of negotiations the day before Thanksgiving, expecting Local 1 to fold in the face of one of the most profitable weeks of the year on Broadway.

The producers were also surprised at the support given the stagehands by the other Broadway unions, expecting the musicians and actors, many of whom were living paycheck-to-paycheck even before the strike, to start whining. Campbell Robertson, a reporter for the New York Times wrote:

The new director of Actor’s Equity Association, John P. Connolly, turned out to be a stalwart defender of Local 1, giving fiery speeches at news conferences. Equity’s own contract with the league is up next year.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/30/theater/30deal.html?pagewanted=print

What was not apparent in any of the news coverage was how much of a David vs. Goliath struggle this 10-year fight continues to be.

On one side of the table are a handful of small unions — Local 1 has 3,000 members in New York City, but only 350 of them are Broadway stagehands. The numbers for the musicians are similar. Actors’ Equity has about 45,000 members nationwide, but only about 6,000 of them work on Broadway in the course of a year. Most of the stagehands, musicians and actors make less than $75,000 a year (there are only a handful of highly-paid stars, and everyone works sporadically).

On the other side of the table are the producers and theater owners who are enjoying the most profitable run on Broadway in years and who are increasingly dominated by bottom-liners with MBAs.

The unions have their solidarity and they still have an ability to strike effectively (hard to find strikebreakers with talent, and you still can’t get away with it in New York).

The producers and owners have deep pockets, which they are always willing to dig into when their egos are at stake.

This year, the stagehands stood together, refused to meet with the mayor and fooled everyone. Next year, the Actors’ Equity Broadway Contract expires and the oldest union in America will be under pressure — in their last contract, Equity negotiators agreed to a two-tier wage scale for national touring shows in exchange for greater numbers of union cast members, and the deal hasn’t worked out well.

John Connolly is a professional actor who’s also a dynamic new trade union voice for Broadway and all of New York City. My guess is that he will regain the lost ground, even if it takes another show business strike next summer.

What will make it even more interesting is that national contracts for members of the Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and the Directors Guild of America will all be up for renegotiation.

Tennis anyone?