Date: Dec. 7, 2020

Press contact: Mikael Elsila, (646) 765-9663, melsila@local802afm.org

AFM Local 802 President Adam Krauthamer: “Local 802 denounces the lockout by the Metropolitan Opera of the stagehands of IATSE Local 1. We are disappointed that Peter Gelb and Met management are taking advantage of the Covid pandemic to harm and demean these highly-skilled and valuable workers while weakening the cultural treasure that is the Met. The path forward to the Met’s revival should not be at the expense of the very workers who quite literally make the organization function behind the scenes. Taxpayers, private donors and audience members will be disappointed that the Met is taking this short-sighted approach and risking the artistic integrity of the organization. We insist that Peter Gelb and Met management end the lockout immediately and bargain for a fair contract in good faith.”

AFM Local 802 represents thousands of highly-skilled musicians who drive New York City’s thriving cultural and tourism economy. Its members – who perform on Broadway, at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and Radio City, in recording studios, as teaching artists, on late-night TV shows and in other televised bands, in hotels, clubs, festivals and venues across NYC – are protected by collective bargaining agreements ensuring proper classification, fair treatment and a living wage. For more background, see www.local802afm.org