Broadway musicians reach tentative agreement with theater owners thwarting potential strike

The show will go on!Broadway musicians reached a tentative labor agreement with theater owners Thursday — thwarting a potentially crippling strike that could have dropped the curtain on nearly two dozen musicals.The American Federation of Musicians Local 802 — which reps 1,200 musicians — said the long-awaited deal with the Broadway League included wage increases and health fund contribution increases.“United in solidarity, Local 802 Broadway musicians are thrilled to announce that we reached a tentative agreement at 4:30 am with the Broadway League that will avert a strike scheduled to begin later today,” the union said in a statement.“This three-year agreement provides meaningful wage and health benefit increases that will preserve crucial access to healthcare for our musicians while maintaining the strong contract protections that empower musicians to build a steady career on Broadway.”The union had vowed to strike if they couldn’t solve a contract dispute with the commercial producers by first thing Thursday.A looming strike could have potentially silenced megahit shows including “Hamilton” and “The Lion King.”The tentative agreement, which will now go to members for ratification, marks the second Broadway deal this week after the Actors’ Equity Association Actors’ Equity Association revealed a new three-year agreement with producers over the weekend for its 51,000 members.The musicians’ contract had expired back on Aug.31, while the Equity contract expired Sept.

28.Both groups had demanded higher wages, improved health care coverage and layoff protections amid a boom in business.Theaters had reported a $1.89 billion in grosses – a 23% increase over the year prior – and an attendance of 14.7 million during the 2024-25 season — marking it the second-best attended season to date, according to the Broadway League....