Earlier this year, crew members at the Atlantic Theatre Company went on strike for a fair contract. Now the strike is over…and workers won a fair contract!

REPORTED BY IATSE: Production crewmembers at Atlantic Theater Company have voted to ratify a tentative agreement reached on March 10, 2025 and are set to become among the first not-for-profit theater company producing solely Off Broadway in history to have a union agreement covering production classifications. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) announced the results of the workers’ vote on the tentative deal Tuesday, with a strong majority voting to accept the terms of the deal. The ratification of the agreement marks the official end of a monthslong strike which began earlier this year.

(During the strike, Local 802 President Robert Suttmann had announced Local 802’s support and said, “Our NYC musicians are proud to stand in solidarity with the hardworking theatre crew of the Atlantic Theatre Company, who are standing up for the dignity, respect, health benefits and protections that all theatre workers deserve. The entertainment community is united, and an injury to one is an injury to all. Local 802 strongly supports IATSE and the workers of the Atlantic Theatre Company. We have your back, and our message to the employer is clear: negotiate in good faith for a fair contract now!”)

The new contract contains significant improvements to wages and working conditions. Additionally, workers will gain contributions to health and retirement funds for the first time. “I feel like we’ve got a really good foundation to build from, and this is only just the beginning,” said Costume Supervisor Liv Rigdon. “I think this will be a year of learning and we will continue to create a workplace we can all be proud of.”

“The workers whose skills and dedication make Atlantic Theater Company’s productions possible stood together in solidarity on the picket lines and now have a strong union contract to show for it,” said IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb. “This is a victory not just for this crew, but for every off-Broadway behind-the-scenes production worker who seeks dignity in their work.”

“Atlantic would like to thank our colleagues at IATSE for working with us to reach an agreement that is equitable for all parties, especially as the landscape of Off-Broadway theatre and not-for-profits continues to become more uncertain. We could not be happier to get back to producing plays and reinvigorating our season,” said Atlantic Theater Company Artistic Director, Neil Pepe.

Atlantic Theater Company production employees were among the first off-Broadway crews to unionize, voting nearly unanimously in February of 2024 to join the IATSE. Atlantic Theater Company’s production workers are part of a strengthening movement of off-Broadway workers unionizing for better wages, benefits, safety, and working conditions. Crews interested in improving their workplaces can visit iatse.net/join to contact an IATSE organizer.