Broadway Holiday Strike Appears to Be Averted

It looks like Broadway will have a happy ending, after all.

The Broadway League’s Executive Director, Charlotte St. Martin, confirms they have reached a “tentative agreement” with Union 32BJSEIU, which represents hundreds of Broadway workers such as janitors, porters, elevator operators, and bathroom attendants.

“After continued productive negotiations, the Broadway League and SEIU Local 32BJ have reached a tentative agreement on a new mutually beneficial agreement,” says St. Martin. No details were released.

Union 32BJ had voted last week to authorize its leaders to call a strike if a new contract isn’t approved by the expiration of their current agreement on December 30. The union, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union, is seeking better pay and health benefits for its workers.

Any strike would affect workers at 32 of Broadway’s 40 theaters, including those owned by the Shubert, Nederlander, and Jujamcyn organizations, as well as the Circle in the Square Theatre. The eight other Broadway theaters, including those owned by Disney, have different union arrangements.