In announcing today's strike of Carnegie's opening-night concert, James Claffey, Jr., president of Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (I.A.T.S.E.), issued the following statement:
"Local One has unfortunately been left with no choice but to exercise its legal rights at Carnegie Hall after 13 months of bargaining. Carnegie Hall Corporation has spent or will spend $230 million on its ongoing studio tower renovation, but they have chosen not to appropriately employ our members as we are similarly employed throughout the rest of Carnegie Hall.
The Union has been very respectful and honorable throughout the entire bargaining process. Carnegie Hall Corporation continued for 13 months to fail to acknowledge the traditional and historic work that we perform, and after no significant progress, we found it absolutely necessary to take action to protect the members that we represent.
Contrary to today's press statement released by Carnegie Hall Corporation, Local One has never proposed the elimination of any current Carnegie Hall employees, whether Union represented or otherwise, and we remain willing and always available to bargain for a successful resolve."
As Michael Cooper writes in the Times:
"The disagreement is over the new education wing being built as part of Carnegie's renovation. The stagehands — who do everything from moving pianos to unloading instruments from trucks to configuring the stage for performances — want these new rooms to fall under their purview. Management, which says the new rooms are educational in nature, says that the work there can be accomplished by the members of other unions that cost less. Accepting Local 1's demand, Carnegie said in a statement, would "divert significant funds away from the hall’s music education programs and into stagehand fees."
Now, let's state a few things for the record:
- The average Carnegie Hall stagehand makes $500,000 a year. That's more than all but Carnegie's top administrators.
- In 122 years, Carnegie Hall has never missed an opening night.
- No other educational facilities in the city use members of the stagehands' union.
- Stagehands have no discernible talent.
Ok, that last one may have been a cheap shot, but for reals: how long are we going to let these goons hold a gun to the head of our city's performing arts institutions? Have they lost all sense of reality? Do they care about anyone other than themselves?
In case you haven't noticed, Mr. Claffey, these are delicate times for the arts in NYC, and around the country. Why don't you get off your high horse already and let Carnegie try to do something good for these kids, without trying to siphon off your piece like some garbage contractor?
According to Carnegie's Executive and Artistic Director, Clive Gillinson, negotiations are ongoing, with no clear end in sight. "One thing we cannot do is compromise," he said.
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