Stagehands Give Union Strike Authority

[Omaha Steve]

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gQ381v-S2EJj_erXbjennxYBRcBwD8SDS2FO3

NEW YORK (AP) — Broadway stagehands voted unanimously Sunday to give their union the authority to call a strike against theater producers, increasing tension in their stalled labor negotiations.

The vote does not mean there will be a strike by Local 1, since that would need the approval of the local's parent organization.

The decision was made by about 1,000 union members, who also voted to move $1 million from the union's general fund to its $4.1 million emergency defense fund "specifically to aid other theatrical unions affected by a work stoppage," said James J. Claffey Jr., Local 1 president.

A strike would affect most but not all of the theaters on Broadway. This week, though, shows are scheduled to go on as usual.

December is a lucrative time for Broadway — many shows sell out — and there will be increased pressure on the producers to resolve the negotiations before those popular holiday performances arrive.

The union has been meeting since summer with the League of American Theatres and Producers in an effort to reach an agreement. The league this month presented what it said was its final offer and announced it would implement some parts of that offer Monday. The two sides have not officially negotiated since then.

FULL story at link.