Rumors of the Actors’ Equity Association and the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) going on strike have been going around online for the last few months. As a Broadway and theater lover, when I read about the possibility of a strike and the issues that were at hand, it piqued my interest.
It’s important to understand what exactly the strike would entail and what the two unions are asking of the Broadway League before discussing thoughts about it.
The Actors’ Equity Association’s most recent contract with the Broadway League expired on Sept. 28, while the AFM contracts expired on Aug. 31. Both unions were asking for similar requests, including an increase in pay and better healthcare insurance, according to a New York Times article about the strike.
It’s worth mentioning that, according to The New York Times, as of Saturday, Oct 18, the Actors’ Equity Association has come to an agreement with the Broadway League, but the AFM still has not, so there is still a possibility of a strike.
Going into my thoughts, let’s start by discussing the request for the pay raise and the better health benefits for people who are a part of the two unions.
To give an idea, currently the minimum wage for a Broadway performer’s weekly salary is around $2,638, and Broadway Box offices have been at a record high as of last season, according to The New York Times. So I can understand why the unions feel that a pay raise can be warranted.
Broadway Performers work long hours and do a lot of shows in a week, and with the growing cost of living and the fact that the majority of these performers and musicians live in New York City, which isn’t a cheap place to live, the pay raise sounds like a fair request.
Similarly, with the desire for better health insurance for the two unions, these people have a job that involves a lot of physicality, vocal health and mental aspects. So, they need to have good health insurance to be able to put on shows to the best of their ability.
Actors and Broadway staff should be able to afford things like doctor visits, therapy sessions and whatever medical expenses that may come with a job like theirs.
Another aspect that was brought up in the request for the new contracts was having the ability to hire more understudies and swings for productions to adjust the number of days in which an actor needs to work until they can take a sick day, according to The New York Times.
One of the biggest issues that I can see arising if a strike does take place is, all the people who went out of their way to get tickets, book flights if necessary and get hotels to see a Broadway show will not get to see the show they went out of their way to try and see.
It’s not cheap to travel, and if the majority of shows are temporarily closed, a lot of people who went out of their way to see a performance won’t get to.
I also feel a strike would have a large effect on tourism and the New York economy. I would think Broadway would bring in a lot of money for the city, and not having those performances will have some impact.
I hope that both unions can make a fair agreement with the Broadway League, so they can avoid the strike.
