Broadway union reaches tentative deal with management, averting strike

The show must go on.

The union representing some 1,500 Broadway workers reached a tentative deal Thursday with theater industry management, averting a strike that would have closed the curtains on theatrical productions in New York as well as touring shows across the country.

The deal was announced jointly by the union, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and two organizations representing management: the Broadway League, the industry's trade group, and Disney Theatrical, a division of the media conglomerate.

IATSE had been conducting a strike vote when negotiators agreed to a tentative deal. The agreement still needs to be formally ratified by IATSE members, a body that includes stagehands and other backstage employees.

"The respective parties will inform their members of the details of this agreement in the coming days," the union and management groups said in a joint statement.

The strike would have added to the intense labor strife roiling the entertainment industry. Hollywood screenwriters and screen actors are on strike from coast to coast, united in shared fury over streaming-era compensation, the threats posed by artificial intelligence, and other vexing issues.

The work stoppage on Broadway would have shuttered performances of nearly 30 shows in New York City and nearly 20 shows that are touring across North America.

Broadway's current slate of shows includes mainstays such as "Hamilton" and "Wicked"; revivals of "Sweeney Todd" and "Funny Girl"; and a musical based on the 1985 movie "Back to the Future." The productions on tour include "Beetlejuice," "Frozen" and "To Kill a Mockingbird."

The Broadway League represents theater owners and operators, producers, presenters and general managers. Disney Theatrical co-produces high-profile shows based on Walt Disney Studios properties, such as "The Lion King" and "Aladdin."

In a statement last week, IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb said his union stands in solidarity with the striking writers represented by the Writers Guild of America and the striking actors represented by the union SAG-AFTRA.

"The Actors and Writers’ cause is reasonable and just, and is part of the same struggles of every worker whose labor powers America’s film and television industry," Loeb said in part.