Agreement with The Broadway League governs Broadway Shows and Sit-Down Productions Produced by League Members
New York -- Actors’ Equity Association, the national labor union representing more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers in live theatre, is pleased to announce that members have ratified a new three-year agreement with The Broadway League. The Production Contract: Broadway and Sit-Downs governs employment in shows on Broadway, as well as in sit-down shows produced by members of the Broadway League elsewhere in the United States. The new agreement will be in effect through September 28, 2025.
Equity Executive Director Al Vincent, Jr. served as Lead Negotiator. The negotiating team was chaired by Equity Councilor Ira Mont and included members from all job categories (Principal, Chorus, Stage Manager) from all three Equity regions.
“The Broadway League is the largest group of employers for Equity members, and coming to our first agreement after the pandemic shutdown and subsequent reopening is a major step,” said Lead Negotiator, Equity Executive Director Al Vincent, Jr. “This was not an easy negotiation, and over 21 bargaining sessions everyone on both sides of the table had to make difficult choices. I am proud of the work the Equity team did to achieve a contract that makes significant strides on a number of issues that have been on our agenda for decades. And this agreement also lays important foundations that we will build on in negotiations to come.”
“We went into this negotiation with an ambitious package reflecting the priorities of actors and stage managers working this contract,” said Kate Shindle, president of Actors’ Equity Association. “While we certainly didn't achieve all of them, we did make progress: fewer 10/12s, fewer rehearsal hours after opening, significant EDI advances, paid sick leave for the entire Equity company, more stage manager preproduction, increases in some chorus increments and our highest overall salary gains in decades.
“We will need to continue to build on this work. (For example, while we achieved our first-ever cap on split tracks for swings, five is still too many.) I hope our members will stay engaged, especially if they are asked to do anything that makes them feel unsafe. We are now prepping for bargaining both Touring and LORT, which have significant worker overlap with Production. The voices of mobilized actors and stage managers clearly made this a better deal than it otherwise would have been. That same activism and solidarity will also be crucial for these upcoming negotiations.”
Achievements in this contract include:
- Minimum salary increases at 5%, 4%, 4% in each year of the three-year agreement.
- Better paid sick time benefits for everyone.
- Two fewer 10/12s.
- Decrease of weekly rehearsal hours allowed after opening – the first decrease since 1957!
- An additional personal day off for everyone.
ACTORS' EQUITY ASSOCIATION, founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers. Equity endeavors to advance the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits (health and pension included). Member: AFL-CIO, FIA. www.actorsequity.org #EquityWorks
December 19, 2022
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