Broadway will stay bright after a last-minute agreement between the musicians union AFM Local 802 and the Broadway League averted a strike that was set to begin today. The two sides reached a tentative three-year contract, ending weeks of negotiations that had threatened to halt nearly every musical currently running on Broadway.
“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,” Local 802 President Bob Suttmann 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 new deal, which still requires ratification by union members, follows the expiration of Local 802’s previous contract on August 31. Musicians had continued working without an agreement as talks continued, seeking increases in pay, healthcare contributions, and job security.
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Had a strike gone forward, it would have shut down every Broadway musical except “Ragtime,” which operates under a separate contract.
The breakthrough comes after a similar agreement was reached earlier this month between the Broadway League and Actors’ Equity Association, whose contract expired on September 28. Both unions had authorized strike actions, raising the specter of a total Broadway shutdown that could have affected nearly all productions and tens of thousands of workers.
Political leaders, including members of Congress and New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, voiced support for the unions in recent days, noting that a work stoppage could have severe economic consequences for the city’s tourism and hospitality sectors.
The deal ends the most serious labor standoff on Broadway in nearly two decades. The last musicians strike in 2003 closed theaters for five days, while the most recent Broadway strike — by stagehands in 2007 — lasted 19 days. Actors’ Equity last walked out in 1968, ending after three days when the city’s mayor intervened.
