Breathe a sigh of relief; the final potential for an impending Broadway strike is now officially past us. Musicians' union AFM Local 802 has officially ratified their new contract with The Broadway League, governing standard, base terms for musicians working on Broadway. The new agreement replaces the previous contract, which expired August 31. The new terms will remain in place throgh August 27, 2028; and will apply retroactively to September 1, 2025.
The union reached a tentative agreement with the League (whose membership comprises Broadway producers and theatre owners) October 23, and its membership voted on it through November 3. The union is not sharing data about the percentage of its membership that voted to affirm the agreement, nor details of the contract's terms.
"After a hard-fought contract negotiation, Broadway musicians overwhelmingly ratified their new three-year contract, preserving industry-leading standards for the artists who power Broadway's success," says Local 802 President Bob Suttmann in a statement. "United in solidarity, Broadway musicians doubled down on their collective power with a 98-percent strike authorization vote. Ultimately, AFM Local 802’s Broadway musicians, together with the actors and stage managers of Actors’ Equity Association, have proven that organized labor remains a potent force on Broadway.”
“We welcome the ratification of our Broadway contract by the members of Local 802," adds Broadway League President Jason Laks in a separate statement. "We have always valued the musicians employed on Broadway. We are deeply appreciative of our mediator, Javier Ramirez, for finding a path that both sides could endorse, avoiding a needless disruption of our industry."
The musicians had been the final group in need of a new contract in a moment that brought Broadway perilously close to a strike, what would have been the Main Stem's first since 2007, and potentially catastrophic to an industry still in the midst of recovery from the pandemic shutdown. Both the musicians and actors' unions (the latter also representing stage managers) have seen expired contracts and reportedly difficult negotiations to get new ones in recent months. Actors' Equity Association was first to reach a tentative agreement October 18, officially ratifying it October 30. Both groups had authorized potential strikes.
In public statements, both unions had a similar list of demands, primarily increases to wages and producer contributions to health care. It has been reported that AEA was successful on both fronts, achieving 3% per year raises amongst other provisions. 802's successful ratification vote would seem to indicate similar success, though details are not publicly available.
