NY Post spin-doctoring and the IATSE Stagehands

Union news

Submitted by Joe638NYC on Tue, 11/20/2007 - 8:38pm.

If you were to come across The New York Post "Editorial" today , you might come to the conclusion that the Broadway Stagehands are a greedy lot , a job thats as easy as being a busboy and made sure that "The Grinch That Stole Christmas" continues to be shut down and are doing everything in their power to cripple New York City . Well lets just decimate their "Editorial" a bit ...

the Editorial from NY Post in BOLD and my retort (sometimes BOLD)

KILLING BROADWAY

Nice Headline , eh ?

November 20, 2007 -- The Grinch stole Christmas, and now Broadway stagehands have made off with Thanksgiving.

OK , heres where the facts go astray , just placing The Grinch and Stagehands stealing Thanksgiving in the same sentence makes a person who skims articles think that the Stagehands are the reason for the Grinch being shut down , but alas , the Stagehands and the Producers of The Grinch agreed to run the show , BUT , the theater owners Jujamcyn are the ones REFUSING to let the show go on , as a matter of fact the producer is now suing the theater to get the show back on . A bit of fact about Jujamcyn , they are one of the 3 theater owners in the strike dispute . "'The Grinch' will not reopen until the union signs agreements and ends the strike at all theaters and all the other shows that have been closed by their strikes reopen on Broadway," the company said in a statement.

Shame on them.

Yes who are these brutes , these men and women who are out on the streets , as if they wan't to be out of work . Even the most base idea on being on strike is that nobody wins . NO ONE WANT'S TO BE ON STRIKE ! A STRIKE HURT'S EVERYONE !

As weekend negotiations with the striking stagehands union collapsed, theater owners and producers announced that three-quarters of Broadway venues would remain dark (a handful of shows have not been struck) until next week at the earliest.

The fact is that the Producers walked away from the negotiating table on Nov.19th. Robert W. Johnson, a senior labor relations executive from Disney representing League of American Theaters and Producers , and Thomas C. Short, the president of IATSE , the parent union of Local 1, were in the meetings and involved in the negotiating which went on for 2 days . The final offer was handed down to IATSE from the League and rejected , thats when THE PRODUCERS WALKED OUT.

James J. Claffey Jr., the Local 1 president is quoted as saying “The bottom line is, they want us to work for significantly less than we get and work more,”

The announcement was made to warn off the thousands of tourists who might've made plans to come to the city for the Thanksgiving holiday.

That is an AMAZING statement , is the corporate laden Broadway such a tourist trap as one may think , ever heard of OFF-BROADWAY , New York is a mecca of entertainment , I feel insulted to say the least . Go see Walmartopia , Xanadu , Mary Poppins , Pygmalion or The Radio City Christmas Spectacular . God theres absolutely a million things to do in New York . Take a look at Time Out New York and see what shows are still running on Broadway

The result?

Aw , now we're gonna pull the publics heart strings , drumroll please...

What is traditionally Broadway's second biggest week is now toast.

Please re-read above THE PRODUCERS WALKED OUT

Ten days into the strike, the union continues to blame so-called "greedy" producers - but, regarding greed, the stagehands need to look in a mirror.

Broadway is a BILLION dollar a year industry and makes more each year , as a matter of fact last year Thanksgiving week brought in $23 MILLION in tickets sales , thats just ticket sales , that has absolutely nothing to do with MERCHANDISE , you don't get that shit for free , what about REFRESHMENTS , guess those must be complimentary . If Broadway was such a money loser , would we have the likes of DISNEY involved at all ? As a matter of fact I wouldn't put it past the likes of BROADWAY TO WANT TOO MUCH FROM WORKERS , The theaters are demanding a 38% cut in jobs and wages . In speaking with picketers they (the Producers) want workers to go on a daily work list , better known as a shape list , show up , if we need you tonight you work , if not go home , what the hell is that all about , is this the Depression revisited ? Maybe we should just send some day-laborers to sit and wait to be picked out of the group , is that greed on the side of the workers ?

Stagehands make $100,000 to $150,000 a year. That's a pretty sweet deal, even by New York standards - and it's made even sweeter by the fact that stagehanding isn't among Gotham's more demanding trades.

Yeah , being an undocumented worker , working for an unscrupulous contractor , working in unsafe conditions on a skyscraper in New York City , with a fear that the boss will fire you and/or call immigration if you speak up , all for $4-$10 an hour with no benefits is a hell of a lot more demanding . Gimme a break you pencil pusher . Actually to make that kind of money you have to give up something special , your life , it takes quite a bit of overtime to make that kind of money . As a matter of fact the AVERAGE stagehand makes $70,000 yearly . The Actors Equity Association has added in regards to the stagehands "In a highly technical and dangerous work environment , stagehands make it safe for us to work. Their craft and expertise may not be apparent from the audience, but it is absolutely integral to running the show." and they add "Since July 1st. the stagehands have bargained in good faith. The Producers have stonewalled the stagehands and forced them to work without a contract under imposed work rules. Throughout this process, the stagehands have never wavered in their focus and commitment to do their jobs safely and professionally and serve the loyal theater audience"

Indeed, very few waiters, waitresses, busboys, bartenders and retail workers make that sort of money. Yet these are the working people who are taking a huge hit.

WOW , thats an amazing fact , but since you brought it up

When was the last time you saw a waitress wearing a hard hat ? The busboy measuring a piece of wood to just the right dimensions so that it wont fall on someones head ? What level of experience does one need to make the top pay ? The Stagehands is a skilled trade , with legals citizens doing the work . Restaurants are the wild west of employers .

While I know for a fact that these employees work hard so hard in fact that they don't get paid sometimes , the author would be better off comparing restaurant workers with SLAVES . Just a sample reading of Unregulated Work In The Global City , a study of the exploitation of workers in New York notes in the restaurant industry that "13% of workers earned less than the minimum wage and 59% experienced overtime violations. The high rate of overtime violations was often acknowledged in our interviews; according to one employer, “At plenty of places there is no such thing as overtime.” And workers are not infrequently owed wages from several weeks or even months ago (we heard as much as 40 weeks’ worth of pay owed)."" Never mind the fact that the workers are discouraged to file Workers Compensation if injured . The workers in the restaurants are at the complete mercy of the owners , just stating that they don't get paid like a stagehand is ludicrous . I'll leave you with this quote "“If there’s an injury, you’re
sent home and docked pay. You have to pay for the doctor out of pocket.”

They're losing money during what should be a peak time of the year - and they don't have a strike fund to help offset the losses.

You know I do feel badly for the conditions of these workers , but lets see the post interview a few , you probably wouldn't spend your money there in the first place . It's a disgrace , most "Back Of the House Jobs , those you don't usually see (dishwashers , busboys , food prep,etc.) are usually paid off the books , are forced to work 6 days a week , 8-12 hours a day and some dishwashers and cook staff work double shifts , with the top pay up to $400 (off the books) , thats a WHOPPING $6 AN HOUR off the books for 72 hours worth of work . THAT IS THE TOP PAY ! never mind the guy who makes $120 a week .

Apples and Oranges , wheres the Post fighting for those workers rights ? Not just pulling at our heart strings to get an emotion out of us . If the Post is so righteous to make one believe that they care about the service workers in restaurants , they should make their mission to go after the employers .

Restaurants and other venues are already canceling employee shifts and holding off on hiring extra holiday help.

You mean they get to go home?

Meanwhile, the unions are holding out for the continued right to "featherbed" - to force producers to employ more workers than the job actually requires.

Nice to know The Post was in the negotiations , according to my source (The Times) “At the very end, we gave them what we thought was our very bottom line,” said Charlotte St. Martin, the executive director of the Producers league.

As The Post reported this week, the head of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees - parent of Local One, which represents the stagehands - was close to carving out a deal.

Yes , lets see that deal .

Local One refused to take it.

THE PRODUCERS WALKED OUT , in my eyes they (Producers) said THIS IS OUR FINAL OFFER

And so, New York suffers.

Interview them , the most I've seen of suffering is a girl on the tube saying about The Grinch "I don't blame anyone , I just wish they would let the show go on"

The theater district always does well during the holidays, squirreling away the profits for the traditionally leaner post-yuletide months.

Maybe then they should have been negotiating in July of this year .

Without that reserve, a lot of people - and not just the stagehands - are going to have a very unhappy New Year indeed.

I hope after they have opened their lead painted toys from China , talked to "SAM" the tech support guy from India , tip the undocumented delivery guy from Ecuador , try on their Mexican Carhartt's , eat their fruit from South Africa , etc. , I hope they realize that their future was sold out , who did it ? Corporate scumbags like Rupert Murdoch whose corporation , like Disney , detest unions and brainwashes the public at a whim . Yes I decided to counter just The NY Post , but they are by no means the only ones against workers , sometimes it seems like they all are . And now they want your internet , but thats a different story for another day .

Like we said, for shame.

Yes a shame indeed .

img214/5360/nypmasthead2cf7.gif Happy Thanksgiving