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Bloomberg Helps to Get the Show Moving On
12-Nov-2007
Written by: Stacey Eisenberg
The Show Must Go On?
New York City has reached out to Broadway and its potentially devastating strike in a major way. Mayor Bloomberg has offered his help as a neutral mediator in talks between the two parties.
The response by the stagehand union has been a “Thanks, but no thanks,” according to the New York Daily News. Producers, on the other hand, have been much more open to the Mayor’s involvement and help, which helped to settle a musicians strike in 2003.
James Claffey, president of Local One, says, “He could not be more of a gentleman, but we have respectfully declined his help.” The stagehands have refused to continue discussions with producers until they are shown more respect. They feel that they’ve been portrayed as money hungry thieves according to Claffey.
It is no surprise that the city is trying to step in and help considering that the strike is causing the city to lose at least $5 million in revenue every day. But it is a bitter battle as both sides seem to be entrenched in their positions.
Claffey says, “We’re fighting for our lives. We’re fighting for the people out there, the middle class.” However, the league’s executive director, Charlotte St. Martin, says that the union is defending “wasteful, costly and indefensible rules that are embedded like dead weights in contracts.”
In the meantime, tourists are scrambling to make other plans. Linda Soohoo, who came in town to see “Jersey Boys,” says, “The show will go on. I just have my fingers crossed for next week.”
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