Philadelphia Theatre Co. stagehands continue strike
Talks between Philadelphia Theatre Co. management and the union representing stagehands broke off at 2 a.m. Saturday without yielding a new trade agreement.
Philadelphia Theatre Co. stagehands continue strike
Peter Dobrin, Inquirer Classical Music Critic
Talks between Philadelphia Theatre Co. management and the union representing stagehands broke off at 2 a.m. Saturday without yielding a new trade agreement.
The stagehand strike continues, the union says:
"The employer will not agree to back off its demand to have the unrestricted right to hire as many non-union workers as they decide to perform the work covered in the union's jurisdiction and previously performed by the workers of the PTC who chose to be represented by the union."
Producing artistic director Sara Garonzik said: "Progress has been made and we are all eager to wrap up as soon as we can."
Talks were expected to continue Sunday.
In the meantime, the theater's run of The Mountaintop was scheduled to go on Saturday and Sunday in previews, if not exactly as originally planned. The show is "a gripping re-imagining" of events the night before the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. after delivering his "I’ve Been to the Mountaintop" speech.
Even without the unionized stagehands, performances will continue "without elaborate tech," said Garonzik. "We have a great script, wonderful actors and direction and many beautiful design elements. It is a powerful evening, and one that I am proud to show audiences."
Union Proud!- Please enlighten us as to what the "proud" condition refers to.
Prou = I let someone else be responsible for my work conditions
Proud = I defer to a thug to negotiate for me (because I'm too uneducated to do it for myself)
Proud = I hold hostage whomever I like, no matter the consequence, to get what I FEEL I have earned even though I know others would do a better job for less
Proud = I'll threaten anyone who opposes me
Proud = I'm weak, but I just don't want you to know I believe that— Cliff8338 - It's ironic that PTC is trying to break the strike while producing a show about MLK.— phillygwm
- Exactly. I wonder what Dr. King would have to say about Sara Garonzik's practice of not paying the stage technicians a living wage. — tarablue
- On one hand, PTC Management has proudly proclaimed their use of Equity (Union) actors, directors and designers. On the other, they have worked tirelessly to keep the crew non-union, which the crew was fine with, until PTC begin tactics to keep their salaries low and keep the without healthcare, which their other employees had. They would pay office workers to to work on holidays, and require stage hands to work on holidays for standard pay. I am not a crew member, but I was an actor for many years. The stage crew kept me safe on the stage, held a bucket for me when I was sick during a performance, was there when I arrived, and there when I left. They are some of the hardest workers in the theatre. I support them 100%.— tjinphilly
- Thanks for this thoughtful comment. I will not attend Philadelphia Theatre Company performances as long as PTC's management engages in union-busting.
- At $50 /hour I don't blame PTC. Hardworking and great? Yes. $50 /hour? Absolutely not.— dave yognaught
- It's more like $16/hour. Please let me know if you have any more questions! — stagehand
- first they bust the Orchestra, now this. How can anyone with a conscience get any culture in this city?— pachysandra
- good for the stage hands. stand up for a respectable life! because if you don't take action, nobody is going to give it to you. you have to demand it— Ryan
- Those trained men and women risk their own necks to keep performers AND AUDIENCE safe. How has it come to pass in this country that earning a living wage in anything except MANAGEMENT is a crime? I don't get it. Teachers, bus drivers, yes, the Philadelphia Orchestra, too. The mahoffs have set us on each other and some of us have fallen for it. Phila Theater Co? I ain't goin'. I'll be at MY union meeting. (Dave Y, is 50 an hour a fortune to you? For occasional work, no less? Are things that rough for YOU? Or do you simply believe it's wrong for a working man/woman to be able to work hard and earn enough to feed a family and maybe have a little to set aside for retirement and a kid's college education?)Union proud? ME TOO!!!— xkarivalis
- If the PTC needs anyone to be a volunteer stage hand, please let me know. There is nothing I enjoy more in this world than crossing a picket line. If I could get a job being a professional picket line crosser, I would pay my employer to have such a cool job.
PTC, let me know. I will cross and work for free.— mephisto - Somehow I don't think they could use you Mephisto. Professional picket line crosser doesn't = skills, or internet posts for that matter. The staff is asking to be treated like every other regional theater in the area. PTC allows unions (Actor's Equity) already, they have just cut corners and saved money for a long time by refusing their stage hands equal pay / wages.— corporatehuman
- You think if there was such a job as Professional Picket Line Crosser I would be on philly.com replying to you? Are you crazy? I'd be out there looking to cross as many picket lines as possible to pick up the overtime pay.
I saw the guys that did stage crew in high school. It's not that hard. ;)— mephisto
Peter Dobrin is a classical music critic and culture writer for The Inquirer. Since 1989, he has written music reviews, features, news and commentary for the paper, covering such topics as the Philadelphia Museum of Art at the Venice Biennale, expansion of the Curtis Institute of Music, the Philadelphia Orchestra's bankruptcy declaration in 2011, Philadelphia's evolving performing arts center and the general health of arts and culture.
Dobrin was a French horn player. He earned an undergraduate degree in performance from the University of Miami, and received a master's degree in music criticism from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, where he studied with Elliott Galkin. He has no time to practice today.
