NEW YORK — Broadway stagehands and theater producers reached a tentative agreement Wednesday night to end a strike that has shut down more than two dozen plays and musicals for more than two weeks.
The settlement came after two days of marathon, all-night sessions and months of negotiation between Local 1 and the League of American Theatres and Producers. The walkout, which began Nov. 10, has cost the city and theaters millions of dollars in lost income.
The strike is focused on how many stagehands are required to open a Broadway show and keep it running. That means moving scenery, lights, sound systems and props into the theater; installing the set and making sure it works; and keeping everything functioning well for the life of the production.
Both sides have been dealing with the issue of wages — how much to pay stagehands in return for a reduction in what the producers say are onerous work rules that require them to hire more stagehands than are needed.
The walkout entered its 19th day Wednesday, getting close in length to the 25-day musicians strike in 1975 that shut down musicals but not plays on Broadway.
