The Metropolitan Opera has reached a preliminary agreement on a new contract with the union that represents its stagehands, which increases the likelihood the company will return to the stage after its longest shutdown in September.
The deal was reached early Saturday morning and the union plans to brief its leaders and members after the July 4th holiday, said a union spokesman, Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. The union and the company declined to provide details of the agreement, which union members will have to vote on.
The company’s 300 or so stagehands were locked out at the end of last year due to disagreement over the duration and duration of the pandemic pay cuts. But the opera house desperately needs workers to prepare its complex operations if it is to reopen in less than three months. The pressure on the talks increased as the two sides negotiated for almost four weeks.
The Met, which claims it has lost more than $ 150 million in revenue since the pandemic forced its closure in March 2020, has called for substantial cuts in the wages of its union members. Peter Gelb, the company’s general manager, said that in order for the company to survive the pandemic and thrive, it will need to cut labor costs for these unions by 30 percent, which is effectively lowering pay by about 20 percent. Union leaders have opposed the proposed cuts, arguing that many of their members have been unpaid for many months.
A Met spokeswoman declined to comment on the deal.
Because of Local One’s lockout, the Met outsourced some of its stage construction work to Wales and California, a move that angered union members struggling during the pandemic. These sets were shipped to New York City, where it would take long hours to get the productions up and running.
Of the other two major Met unions, one representing the orchestra is still in negotiations. The contract with the other, the American Guild of Musical Artists, which includes choir members, soloists, and stage managers, saved money by modestly cutting salaries, moving members from the Met’s health insurance to the union, and reducing the size of the regular choir. The projected savings do not correspond to Mr. Gelb’s demand for a wage cut of 30 percent.
