Broadway actor union reaches tentative deal to avoid strike

More specific details of the tentative agreement have not yet been shared, but the Times reports that they will soon be shared with the national council for the union, which will then vote whether or not to ratify the agreement. Should they vote in favor, it will then be presented to the roughly 4,000 voting members of the union to approve. In his own statement, Jason Laks, president of the Broadway League, which represents theater owners and producers, said, “We’re pleased to have a [sic] reached a tentative agreement on terms both parties are comfortable with. Our focus has been negotiating in good faith at the bargaining table to reach a fair contract, and we thank our mediators for their diligent work bringing us together.”

Bargaining for the contract began in August, with the union seeking adjustments to scheduling, coverage for workers who call out, and increases to the union’s health fund, which would have fallen into a deficit in May without adjustment, according to a press release shared earlier this month. 

Broadway labor is not completely out of the woods, however; the Times notes that the Broadway musicians’ union is still negotiating for a contract, which it has been working without since August 31. In addition to healthcare concerns similar to the actors’ union, the musicians’ union is fighting an effort to reduce compensation for musicians who take on extra administrative tasks. That union, American Federation of Musicians Local 802, hopes to meet with the Broadway League again this week to, hopefully, hammer out a fair deal. Per Playbill, it’s unclear when exactly a potential strike would take place. Broadway musicians most recently went on a five day strike in 2003.