The Kennedy Center in D.C. may have to close its curtains again, not because of the pandemic, but because of a possible strike by its stagehands.
On Thursday, the (IATSE) announced that members of its voted to authorize a strike, after more than a year of negotiations with the Kennedy Center failed to resolve contract disputes over pay and other issues.
鈥淭he strike vote was in response to threats by the performing arts center鈥檚 management to slash wages 40 percent, eliminate jobs along with the imposition of other draconian cuts and changes to working conditions,鈥� the IATSE said in a news release.
The union warned that, 鈥淚f the Kennedy Center鈥檚 management doesn鈥檛 reverse its position before the end of the week, workers will go on strike, withholding their labor, and setting up picket lines before the trucks hauling sets, lights, wardrobe, and other production elements of the Tony-Award winning musical 鈥楬adestown鈥� arrive for scheduled shows.鈥�
The highly-anticipated Broadway production is slated to run at the Kennedy Center Oct. 13 to 31.
But the Kennedy Center counters that the negotiations stalled over a single issue: the use of IATSE stagehands at off-site productions.
鈥淲e have cooperatively resolved all other issues, including wages, benefits, and COVID-19 protocols,鈥� the center said in a statement.
But it accused the union of demanding that the Kennedy Center use its stagehands for programming held outside the center.
鈥淭his would entail a fundamental shift in how we manage, staff, and budget for extended programming, impacting both events held in the community and outside events held at the Kennedy Center,鈥� the statement said. 鈥淎 work expansion of this scale would be cost-prohibitive and unsustainable in the near and long term, forcing us to make further reductions in programming, entailing cuts and reductions to historically free or low-cost community outreach events and higher costs for rentals and outside vendors.鈥�
The statement cited the financial downturn caused by the pandemic, 鈥渞esulting in a $9 million deficit for the recently completed fiscal year (2021) and leaving a projected deficit of $7 million for 2022.鈥�
But the IATSE counters that finances aren鈥檛 the problem.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been more than willing to tighten our belts and help the Kennedy Center during this difficult time for the arts,鈥� IATSE Local 22 President David McIntyre said in the news release. 鈥淗owever, the Kennedy Center鈥檚 management team has decided to use the pandemic as an excuse to gut our contract while taking millions in federal relief dollars just as large audiences are scheduled to return.鈥�
McIntyre added that, 鈥淭hrough this pandemic, every other major venue in and around Washington has managed to successfully maintain their agreements with our union and work with us to prepare for the return of audiences鈥� 鈥� with the exception of the Kennedy Center.
鈥淧utting on a Broadway show, any show, is a team effort, and the Kennedy Center鈥檚 managers will have a hell of a time putting on 鈥楬adestown鈥� without us,鈥� he said.
