HS Alliance
The show will continue to Kennedy Center.
The center reached an agreement with a union representing part of the crew and machinists, thus avoiding a strike. The union ratified the deal on Saturday.
The new three-year agreement covers issues such as compensation and benefits. According to a press release from Local 22 of the International Alliance of Theater Workers (IATSE), the new agreement provides for a wage freeze in the first year, but with a slight increase in the second and third years. The agreement also established protocols to better protect workers against COVID-19.
The union said it was also able to secure jurisdictional rights for the Kennedy Center’s new space, REACH.
“It has been a long, difficult task, but we now have a contract we can live with that protects our members and gives the Kennedy Center the relief it needs to recover from the pain of the pandemic,” the president said. IATSE Local 22 David McIntyre in a statement.
The union voted unanimously last week to authorize a strike after more than a year of negotiations.
“We are pleased with the outcome of these negotiations with IATSE Local 22,” Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter said in a statement. “From the start, we have been open and transparent with the union regarding our financial challenges and the need for a shared sacrifice across the institution.”
The new deal comes just days before the highly anticipated opening of the Tony Award-winning musical “Hadestown”.