On July 20, the Broadway League, Disney Theatrical (legally Buena Vista Theatrical) and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) reached a tentative agreement for the Pink Contract. This news comes on the heels of the strike authorization vote that IATSE opened to eligible voting members on July 19.
Negotiators spoke informally on July 19 and officially reconvened on July 20 to reach this tentative agreement. The strike authorization vote is now moot as IATSE’s negotiating committee unanimously recommended bringing the updated tentative agreement to its membership.
The Pink Contract governs backstage workers on Broadway and touring productions in the United States and Canada, including stagehands, as well as wardrobe, hair and makeup personnel. These workers are hired directly by the production and work alongside local union members. (On Broadway, Pink Contract employees work alongside members of the Local One union.)
The contract was last updated in 2019. The Pink Contract applies to approximately 1,500 workers on 45 theatrical productions: 17 on tour and 25 on Broadway. (There are currently 30 shows running on Broadway.)
According to IATSE, strides were made during initial negotiations, including a tentative agreement to “protect employer-provided healthcare without cuts or increased out-of-pocket costs” and “securing employer-provided housing for touring crews for the first time.” However, the union had been dissatisfied with the response to their demand for increased wages and the establishment of weekly and daily rest periods. The July 20 talks yielded “significant movement” on these outstanding items, according to a spokesperson for IATSE.
The union estimates it will take approximately two weeks to finalize the language in the memorandum of agreement and inform the membership of the contract. Voting will then open for ratification by eligible members — those who have worked the Pink Contract since its last update in 2019.
The tentative agreement signals that Broadway and touring productions should continue as scheduled.
