It has happened. As of 10am today, most of Broadway is shut down due to a strike by Local One of the IATSE.
I get the feeling that this isn't a big deal here at Dailykos, after all Local One is a very small union (about 3,000 members), with fewer than 500 members working on Broadway. However, I think that we may be seeing the canary in the coal mine. The League of American Theaters and Producers represents the rich and powerful owners of the entertainment industry. Local One represents working class men and women who just want fair pay and good working conditions. This is really a fight about whether or not we can be workers, and still be middle class in this country. The middle class grew with the union movement, and as union membership declined in the last 30 years, so did the middle class.
This is a strike against an industry making record profits, which took in almost 1 billion dollars in ticket sales this year. The strike fund that the League has built up, about 20 million dollars, was funded by a surcharge on every ticket sold. That's right, the ticket buying public was forced to subsidize the owner's strike fund.
Early details of the strike in today's NY Times.
The views stated here are strictly my own, I do not speak for Local One, or any one else.
Poll 41 votes Show Results Unions are: Vital to the health of the American economy Ok, but we could live without them Evil, and should be disbanded Who cares? 41 votes Vote Now! Unions are: Vital to the health of the American economy 93% 38 votes Ok, but we could live without them 5 5% 2 votes Evil, and should be disbanded 2 2% 1 vote Who cares? 0% 0 votes
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