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Thursday, November 06, 2025
Broadway Musicians Union Local 802 Ratifies New Three-Year Contract
www.broadwayworld.com: AFM Local 802, the union representing Broadway musicians, has ratified a new three-year Broadway contract with a strong majority “yes” vote. The agreement is retroactive to September 1, 2025, and will remain in effect through August 27, 2028.
3 comments:
Josh Hillers
said...
It is fantastic that a strike was not needed to ensure Broadway musicians received a contract and that there is large agreement within the union for the contract itself, especially after the uncertainty in the negotiations and the large willingness to go on a strike if it was needed. What struck me most about the article though was a comment of a larger statement by Jason Laks, President of The Broadway League who stated that the contract and the mediation was “avoiding a needless disruption of our industry,” in reference to a strike. While this may be nitpicking on words, describing a strike as needless seems to represent a failure in understanding of the whole purpose of a strike, a union, and negotiations in the first place as they intend to serve the needs of those who do not determine their schedules and the conditions they ought to work through. So while a strike may seem needless to the president of an organization that oversees those that have that power over musicians, it is a highly important part of what it takes to ensure all involved in a production receive that which they deserve.
This is such a big deal. The fact that they were finally able to make an agreement without needing to go on strike is great! This whole ordeal is super important because it showed everyone again the power that unions can have in the theatre industry. The threat alone of a strike was able to help the musicians negotiate better conditions for themselves. Additionally, Broadway is a massive driver of the New York City economy, and a strike would have impacted the entire city. A strike would have affected so many industries outside of just entertainment. It is of course great that AFM was able to make a deal, but it is a little sad that it took so long for the Broadway League to agree to their terms, as they are just as vital to Broadway as AEA or IATSE members. I am guessing that it has been a stressful few weeks for New York residents, but hopefully this deal can put everyone at ease!
Go unions! It is so nice to see that after months of fear of striking, they finally got what they wanted. The threat of a strike is scary for the city of New York, especially right now, where Broadway is under attack from both politicians and The Broadway League. I love to see that unions still have power in a world where the big guy can just raise his hammer and smash everything apart. It's a good look for the future of the industry, especially after the Writer's Strike of 2024. I hope this energy continues on, for both the sake of the art and the people involved in the art. Make it more equitable! Ask for more money, and better insurance! The union has so much power right now, they should go for more. Especially after this win with the Musicians Union! It's only in due time that IATSE and AEA try to get in on this.
3 comments:
It is fantastic that a strike was not needed to ensure Broadway musicians received a contract and that there is large agreement within the union for the contract itself, especially after the uncertainty in the negotiations and the large willingness to go on a strike if it was needed. What struck me most about the article though was a comment of a larger statement by Jason Laks, President of The Broadway League who stated that the contract and the mediation was “avoiding a needless disruption of our industry,” in reference to a strike. While this may be nitpicking on words, describing a strike as needless seems to represent a failure in understanding of the whole purpose of a strike, a union, and negotiations in the first place as they intend to serve the needs of those who do not determine their schedules and the conditions they ought to work through. So while a strike may seem needless to the president of an organization that oversees those that have that power over musicians, it is a highly important part of what it takes to ensure all involved in a production receive that which they deserve.
This is such a big deal. The fact that they were finally able to make an agreement without needing to go on strike is great! This whole ordeal is super important because it showed everyone again the power that unions can have in the theatre industry. The threat alone of a strike was able to help the musicians negotiate better conditions for themselves. Additionally, Broadway is a massive driver of the New York City economy, and a strike would have impacted the entire city. A strike would have affected so many industries outside of just entertainment. It is of course great that AFM was able to make a deal, but it is a little sad that it took so long for the Broadway League to agree to their terms, as they are just as vital to Broadway as AEA or IATSE members. I am guessing that it has been a stressful few weeks for New York residents, but hopefully this deal can put everyone at ease!
Go unions! It is so nice to see that after months of fear of striking, they finally got what they wanted. The threat of a strike is scary for the city of New York, especially right now, where Broadway is under attack from both politicians and The Broadway League. I love to see that unions still have power in a world where the big guy can just raise his hammer and smash everything apart. It's a good look for the future of the industry, especially after the Writer's Strike of 2024. I hope this energy continues on, for both the sake of the art and the people involved in the art. Make it more equitable! Ask for more money, and better insurance! The union has so much power right now, they should go for more. Especially after this win with the Musicians Union! It's only in due time that IATSE and AEA try to get in on this.
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