Broadway Musicians Strike, Explained

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Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Broadway musicians are ready to seize the day. They’re carrying the banner. They’re hoping to make you watch what happens. Basically: They’re going full-on Newsies and preparing to strike. On October 13, 98 percent of Broadway musicians in AFM Local 802 voted to authorize a strike if an agreement was not reached between their union and the combined forces of the Broadway League and Disney. The union has been operating without a contract since August 31, when the previous one expired. If a new deal isn’t agreed upon by the morning of October 23, the union says they are prepared to “strike immediately,” shutting Broadway down. Below, everything you need to know about the strike that just might derail your out-of-town cousin’s & Juliet plan.

The union’s demands come down to a few specifics. For one, they want “fair wages,” for a petition put out on October 1, that keep pace with the touted fact that the 2024 to 2025 season was the most financially lucrative in Broadway history. They also demand “stable” health insurance, including family coverage. And then, in the face of an ever-volatile industry, the union is attempting to ensure some level of stability. One way would require the League to maintain current Broadway jobs, including the role of “in-house contractors,” who find and employ the musicians in shows.

“On the heels of the most successful season in history, the Broadway League wants the working musicians and artists who fueled that very success to accept wage cuts, threats to healthcare benefits, and potential job losses,” Local 802 president Bob Suttman said in a statement on October 13. “Faced with such an egregious erosion of their working conditions, Local 802 Broadway musicians and other artists are ready to leverage every ounce of their collective power, up to and including a strike. Committing to anything less would mean sacrificing far too many hard-won gains.”

If you heard that a Broadway strike was actually avoided recently, you wouldn’t be wrong. The Actor’s Equity union reached an agreement with the Broadway League on October 18. “After a marathon mediation session lasting until 6 am, Equity and The Broadway League have reached a tentative agreement on the Production Contract,” executive director Al Vincent Jr., lead negotiator in the union’s negotiations with the Broadway League, said in a statement at the time. “This three-year agreement saves the Equity-League Health Fund while also making strides in our other priorities including scheduling and physical therapy access.” The deal is now being brought to members for ratification.

However, the Actors’ Equity union could strike in solidarity with the musicians, although it remains unconfirmed. In his statement celebrating the contract, Vincent added that “We are putting our full support behind AFM Local 802 as they work with the League to reach a deal that averts a strike.”

The last time there was a musicians’ strike on Broadway was in 2003. At the time, the strain on the New York economy was so great (costing the city $7 million per day) that Mayor Mike Bloomberg summoned both sides of the problem in for mediation, for a contemporary New York Times report. The strike ultimately lasted five days.

Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani tweeted support for Local 802 on October 9. “Broadway’s actors, musicians, and crew make New York the cultural capital of the world,” he wrote. “Their health care is on the line, and it’s time for a fair deal that protects it.” Additionally, senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker, and Andy Kim sent the union leaders a letter of support on October 22.

If the strike happens, then 23 musicals currently playing Broadway will be put on indefinite pause. The most notable exception to the group of musicals is Lincoln Center Theater’s Ragtimeas it operates on a not-for-profit contract. Below, all the shows affected by a potential strike:

& Juliet
Aladdin
Beetlejuice
The Book of Mormon
Buena Vista Social Club
Chess
Chicago
Death Becomes Her
The Great Gatsby
Hadestown
Hamilton
Hell’s Kitchen
Just in Time
The Lion King
Mamma Mia!
Maybe Happy Ending
Operation Mincemeat
MJ The Musical
Moulin Rouge! The Musical
The Outsiders
The Queen of Versailles
SIX: The Musical
Wicked