A worst-case scenario plays out on Broadway

NEW YORK – It’s a worst-case scenario that became a reality.\nAs the Broadway stagehands strike enters its third week Saturday, there doesn’t seem to be any way out of the thorny, seemingly intractable dispute that has shut down more than two dozen plays and musicals since Nov. 10.\nLosses because of canceled performances are in the millions and climbing each day – a disaster not only for producers and theater owners, but for everyone employed in the theater and for those whose businesses depend on curtains going up.\nBoth sides are hanging tough and have not talked for almost a week. The standoff has meant dark theaters during the Thanksgiving holiday, usually one of the year’s best weeks for business.\nNot this year. There was a weird disconnect in the Times Square area during the holiday. On Thanksgiving Eve, side streets were filled with lively, noisy crowds. They were in stark contrast to the silent pickets walking slowly in front of padlocked theaters that looked forlorn even with lighted marquees.\nLocal 1 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees says it’s willing to meet again with the League of American Theatres and Producers. But the league says it won’t go back to the bargaining table unless the union is ready to make a deal.\nAnd none is in sight.\nA settlement was believed to be in the works last Sunday after a marathon weekend of negotiations. But the talks ended abruptly when the producers informed union president James J. Claffey Jr. that what the local had offered was not enough.\nThe complicated contract dispute has focused on how many stagehands are required to open a Broadway show and keep it running. That means moving scenery, lights, sound systems and props into the theater; installing the set and making sure it works; and keeping everything functioning well for the life of the production.\nThe producers want a flexible number; the union more specificity, including ample compensation for any concessions made.\nThe talks, from all reports, have been businesslike, with only an occasional flaring of tempers. Yet both sides seem more adept at preparing for a strike than in negotiating their way out of one.\nThe producers set up a $20 million strike emergency fund, taking a couple cents out of each ticket sold over the last several years to pay for it. The money would help struck shows struggling with the costs of a shutdown.\nThe union, too, has its own fund – benefits of more than $4.1 million for its members as well as another $1 million allotted for members of other unions affected by the walkout.\nAnd if an agreement isn’t reached before Christmas, both parties may end up using every penny.