Another Union Reaches Deal With Metropolitan Opera
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Another union agreed to a contract this past weekend with the Metropolitan Opera, in the wake of the threat of a lockout last month.
On Sunday, members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 1 voted to ratify a six-year agreement, with 90 percent voting in favor, according to a news release.
"Every day – in theaters and, on movie sets and in every venue imaginable – IATSE members rise to the challenge of creating great entertainment," said IATSE International President Matthew Loeb said in a news release. "At the Met, we faced the threat of a lockout and a lost season. Our members rose to the challenge, and did not waver from our goal of contract that was fair to all parties. The end result is a forward-looking agreement that will keep great opera on stage in the heart of New York as well as on 1,900 movie screens and give a great institution the chance to create a long-term, sustainable business model."
Members of the union local were described in the news release as skilled craftsmen with expertise in carpentry, lighting, sound, props, set, and building construction.
The latest vote followed an agreement with another union local, IATSE Local 764, which is composed of costume shop employees and dressers who assist performers with their costumes, the release said.
Five more IATSE locals were still working on contracts as of Tuesday. They included:
• Local 751, which includes treasurers and ticket sellers;
• Local 798, which includes hair and makeup artists;
• Local 794, which includes technicians for the Met's live broadcasts;
• USA 829, which includes painters and designers of sets, lighting, costumes, sound, and projection;
• IATSE Local 829EE, which is in charge of posters and signage around Lincoln Center.
The Met also reached an agreement with stagehands represented by reached tentative labor dealsLocal 802 of the musicians' union and the American Guild of Musical Artists.
The Met said late last month that rehearsals will continue and the season is still expected to open as scheduled Sept. 22.
The contract disputes began after management had demanded salary cuts of about 17 percent and threatened to lock workers out if they did not agree.
Check Out These Other Stories From CBSNewYork.com:
(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
