This month’s column is devoted to the progress that Local 802 has made in several of the negotiations I reported on in my summer column. Collective bargaining can often be slow paced, but I am happy to report positive forward movement in each of these negotiations. It is anticipated that progressive terms will be achieved for each.

(Other negotiations on Local 802’s radar include Broadway, the New York Philharmonic, New York City Opera and Nonprofit Off Broadway, all of which are being handled by the President’s Office. There are also numerous negotiations handled by my colleague Financial Vice President Karen Fisher in the Concert Department as well as contracts administered by the AFM itself, like the upcoming live TV negotiations. The negotiations mentioned below are just a few of the contracts that my department is responsible for.)

54 BELOW

The venue 54 Below has offered an economic package with substantial increases to the per-show performance rate, health benefits and the total amount the performing act will be paid. For example, under the expired agreement, the top tier performance fee for a side musician was $110, the health benefit contribution per performance was $9 and the top performance fee for an act was $2,000 and above. While many performers are paid overscale by 54 Below, the only way to increase the overscale payment is to increase the base upon which it is calculated. The employer’s new proposal does just that.

The recent proposal has increased the top tier to $5,501 and above per show. For acts paid within this tier, it was proposed that side musicians receive a $325 performance wage and a $25 health benefit contribution per show. This performance payment includes a one-hour sound check, regardless of whether one actually occurs. At present, the bargaining committee is reviewing a spreadsheet detailing payments received by each act performing in 2023 to see if the five budget tiers 54 Below proposed should be adjusted. New bargaining dates will be scheduled when this review is completed.

ARGYLE THEATRE

On July 25, Local 802 Principal Representative Peter Voccola and I attended another bargaining session with the Argyle Theatre, a small regional theatre on Long Island that was unionized several years ago. Local 802 bassist Peter Averso joined us at the table and it made a noticeable difference to managements’ approach to the negotiations. The theatre now agreed to several of our proposals, including the process for hiring substitute musicians, premium pay for doublers, compensation for librarians and wage withholding so musicians are treated as employees. We are waiting for management to respond to the open items remaining and more musicians have committed to attending our next negotiation date. There are several live theatre venues Local 802 has organized on Long Island and we are committed to establishing a level playing field for musicians who perform in them, including wage parity.

GATEWAY THEATRE

Along those lines, we have just concluded negotiations with the Gateway Theatre, another Long Island theatre. As of January 2025, musicians performing there will receive the same performance wage ($100 per show) as musicians who perform at the John W. Engeman Theatre, in Northport. This memorandum of agreement has been unanimously ratified by the bargaining unit. My commendations to Peter Voccola, who brokered this deal.

BIG APPLE CIRCUS

Also, the Big Apple Circus concluded its negotiations with Local 802 late last month. There we achieved a 4 percent wage increase in a one-year deal that also preserved the primary hiring list and added terms that will promote better communication between labor and management. For this season, the Big Apple Circus will return to its roots as a traditional circus celebrating the neighborhoods of New York. Last season, the Big Apple Circus had partnered with Circus Roncalli, a troupe based in Germany with a decidedly European flavor. We expect that the Big Apple Circus agreement will be ratified by the musicians who perform under it.

KAUFMAN CENTER

Finally, we anticipate that negotiations with the Kaufman Center on behalf of their piano accompanists will commence after Labor Day. We have been working with the bargaining committee to develop bargaining proposals for this negotiation.

I’ll report on any additional developments in these negotiations as they occur.

I truly hope that everyone has had a wonderful summer, and look forward to you visiting our new location. Warm wishes for an extremely rewarding and productive new season!