The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), a union representing about 800 artistic and mechanical workers at the Metropolitan Opera, is launching a campaign across print and social media proclaiming “Without People the Opera is Nothing.” This is in response to the Met’s General Manager, Peter Gelb, looking to enact a long term 30% wage cut on the opera’s workforce. Without both sides coming to terms, it’s possible there will be no opera in 2021.
The Metropolitan Opera is the largest performing arts organization in the United States, with nearly 3,000 employees and an annual budget of over $300 million. According to NPR, when The Met shut down because of COVID last March, the company cited the force majeure provision of its agreement, and made the decision to furlough all union artists and craftspeople. The Met’s new season is scheduled to begin in September 2021.
“Gelb is cruelly and cynically using the COVID-19 crisis as leverage to stab his workers in the back, cutting off their wages and healthcare payments during the pandemic and putting the future of the opera company in jeopardy,” said IATSE International President Matt Loeb on their advocacy website, MetOperaNews.
Amidst the furloughs caused by the pandemic, contracts with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, or IATSE – which represents workers, from stagehands to make-up artists to box office personnel – expired. NPR reports that the two sides met for several negotiating sessions, beginning last July. The Met offered IATSE members a weekly “bridge” payment of $1,527 during the pandemic, contingent on a 30% pay cut when it was over.
The union offered several counterproposals, says James Claffey Jr., president of IATSE Local 1: “We offered a significant reduction for a year’s time, and we were prepared to actually go for a longer period of time, at an even greater reduction. But we never got there.” Talks broke down in early December, and the union has been locked out since then.
The IATSE has launched an online ad stating “The Met Opera isn’t about balance sheets. Without people, the opera is nothing,” urging patrons and donors to hold back contributions to the Met until IATSE members are reinstated.
Advertisement
The union has also begun a lobbying effort speaking with lawmakers in Washington, DC and in Albany about the company being excluded from stimulus funds, and contacting the 22 NYC mayoral candidates to brief them on the situation.
COVID-19 led to the Met canceling the final months of the 2019-20 season, as well as the entire 2020-2021 season. That’s a total loss of 276 performances and the ticket revenue that comes with it. The Met has been offering free archival releases from its website while offering a series of pay-per-view recitals titled, “Met Stars Live in Concert.”
ILTUWS has reached out to The Met and IATSE for comment.
This is a greedy union that will put the Met out of business. They have blackmailed management for years and some of their stage hands make over $300,000/year. It is long past due for a “reset”.
There are no stagehands that make that kind of money, even including the benefit package. Don’t believe everything you’re told, especially coming from someone who has his own axe to grind (and his own compensation to look out for).
Tony,
The heads of departments, so head stage carpenter, head of electrics, head of properties make those kinds of monies at the Met Opera. That’s base full time stage hand wage, plus a Met management salary. However they hold the management position at the pleasure of higher level Met Opera management and can be demoted back down to just well paid full time stage hand. Such a demotion happened to the head of electrics a few years back.
And yes, those dollar amounts are in addition to benefits.
Greedy union? Let’s recognize this for what it is. This is the Met using Covid-19 as an excuse to renege on their collective bargaining agreements. Most arts organizations and their performers, such as the New York Philharmonic, understand that this is a time for SHARED sacrifice. Orchestras are continuing to pay their members a reduced salary during these difficult times, enough to keep them afloat. In addition, the unions recognize that reduced salaries will be TEMPORARILY necessary for a year or at most two, to allow the organizations to regain fiscal health. This is NOT the case at the Met. Management cut everyone off cold-turkey on March 31. Not a cent in salary has been paid since. Furthermore, the Met is demanding a PERMANENT salary cut of 30%. There is nothing SHARED about this sacrifice. The Met sees Covid-19 as their once-in-a-lifetime, golden opportunity to take advantage of their employees. The singers, musicians, stagehands, music librarians, designers, wig makers, seamstresses, ushers, security: these are the Met. Anything else is just a big empty building.
Classic union greed will destroy a treasure.
So it’s “greed” to want a middle class income and decent working conditions?
Let me guess, you suppose these workers should be making $42,000, with crappy medical, no vacation, and no 401K?
There’s no income, do you think money grows on the trees? Grow up will you.
Luis, what on earth are you talking about?
Nowhere did I imply that stage hands at the Met Opera should be paid if there are no operas in production, and therefore the company has no income from ticket sales.
Stop making excuses for poverty wages.
Full time Met Opera musicians are paid more than the basic full time stage hand, but your ilk supposes those in the Met’s orchestra should make $75,000 per year in wages.
Money growing on trees: There be 5 trillions reasons that contradict your statement. The likes of Wall Street and Boeing were bailed out in March 2020, but not arts organizations.
So you have no idea what you’re writing about, and you read something into my post that simply wasn’t there.
“They have blackmailed management for years and some of their stage hands make over $300,000/year”.
Not true, some management positions of the stage hands’ departments–so eg the head stage carpenter –make that kind of money. BUT those jobs are “boss” jobs, which are at the pleasure of the Met Opera management. Stage hand managers can be demoted back to just stage hand, with a good job guarantee, if the Met management sees fit.
Most stage hands working there, for a full season, who are not bosses, so the vast majority of them, make about a $135,000 including a huge amount of long hours and over time.
So best get your facts straight.