Mayor Michael
Bloomberg has offered to help get stalled labor
negotiations between Broadway stagehands and theater
producers back on track, but he feels that ''at least
for the next month or so, there is no danger of a work
stoppage or lockout on Broadway.''
''The city has a
big interest in keeping Broadway going,'' Bloomberg said
Monday. ''It's part of our economy, part of our culture.
''On the other
hand, (they are) private employers and (a) private union,
and they have a right to negotiate without government
dictating a settlement, which would clearly be
wrong,'' he said. ''We have offered to provide them
with facilities and/or somebody that can keep them
talking.... And if they want to take advantage of it, they
both certainly have my number 24 hours a day.''
Stagehands voted
unanimously Sunday to give their union, Local One, the
authority to call a strike against the League of American
Theatres and Producers. The vote does not mean there
will be a strike by the union, since that would need
the approval of the local's parent organization.
The union and the
league have been meeting since summer in an effort to
reach an agreement. Earlier this month the league presented
what it said was its final offer and announced it
would implement some parts of that offer Monday. The
two sides, wrangling over work rules and staffing
requirements, have not officially negotiated since then.
Meanwhile, the
union has set a new strike deadline even as they
reiterated they will work this week.
''No work in
December without a deal,'' James Claffey Jr., Local One
president, said Sunday. ''We are giving them (the league)
enough time to try to make a deal. It's not beneficial
to the membership of Local One to go into December
without a deal. We are prepared to bargain now.''
December is a
lucrative time for Broadway -- many shows sell out -- and
there will be increased pressure on the producers to resolve
the negotiations before those popular holiday
performances arrive. (AP)