In today’s Wall Street Journal, executive editor James Panero denounces the stagehand strike that led to the cancelation of Carnegie Hall’s season-opening concert. Wednesday’s performance by the Philadelphia Orchestra was called off when the stagehands, represented by IATSE/Local One, refused to work.
This is a fight Carnegie Hall needs to win. If the union is allowed to extend its reach to areas outside its purview, then sooner or later every other performing arts institution nationwide will face the same challenge. And they, and their audiences, will pay dearly.
The employees claim they are not appropriately paid, although five of the top ten earners at Carnegie are stagehands. James points to the unjust hierarchy of Local One and the negative effects unions have on the production costs and ticket prices of New York’s art organizations.
The full article is available here.