Broadway Musicians Settle With Producers

Broadway musicians canceled a strike vote Saturday after reaching a tentative deal with theaters and producers on the Great White Way.

The proposal calls for wage increases of 21.5 percent over five years, said American Federation of Musicians president Bill Moriarity.

The union, which represents 11,000 musicians - 450 of them on Broadway - had been demanding a 12 percent pay hike over three years for its musicians, conductors, arrangers and music copyists.

“The tentative agreement sounds excellent so far,” said music preparer Bob Nowak.

A ratification vote is scheduled to occur in about 10 days.

The dispute threatened to silence orchestra pits on Broadway for the first time since October 1975, when 12 musicals were quieted for 25 days due to a strike.

Moriarity said producers were trying to reduce benefits and orchestra size. Issues that remain include concerns over stage smoke and fog that roll into the orchestra pits, and acoustical problems in some theaters, he said.

Under the old contract, which expired Monday, the musicians earned about $1,300 per week, including benefits.

The union was scheduled to meet again Tuesday with the League of American Theaters and Producers, which represents 35 of Broadway’s 37 theaters.

The pending deal is “good news for everybody, most importantly for the Broadway theater goer,” said Jed Bernstein, the league’s executive director.

Twenty theaters currently have musical productions, all of which would be affected by a strike. However, some shows such as “Cats” and “Phantom of the Opera,” could resort to computerized soundtracks if musicians walk out.

The two theaters not represented by the league are the Disney-owned New Amsterdam and The Ford Center for the Performing Arts.

The theaters are showing “The Lion King,” and “Ragtime,” respectively, two of the biggest hits on Broadway.