kadleck

Well, it's all pretty ugly. The stage hands have certain "minimums" as do (or did) the musicians. They feel that they need a certain number of people to load in a show, move scenery, etc. without it becoming dangerous. The producers feel that the stage hands could do the same job with less people & they resent being told how many people to hire (like they felt with the musicians).

Missing Thanksgiving week (one of the busiest) is a HUGE blow to the producers, so now I'm sure they are in this for the long haul, possibly until Christmas week or later.

In addition to all of us being out of work, chances are that some of the weaker (less attended) shows will probably close as a result.

We are required to show up for every performance and "sign in" in order to get our "strike pay" which is $30 per show. Many of us live far away, and I know that personally it costs me $37 to come into NYC, so it's actually a loss. But the point is to support the stage hands too.

It's really a mess but things could always be worse!

Tony