Stagehands Strike Off Broadway’s Prominent Atlantic Theater Company, Two Productions Postponed

After negotiations broke down over the weekend between Off Broadway‘s Atlantic Theater Company and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the stagehands union ordered a strike against the prominent nonprofit theater.

Two productions that had already begun previews, Eliya Smith’s Grief Camp and Mona Pirnot’s I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan, but have now been postponed indefinitely. The strike follows several months of negotiations that began after the Atlantic crew voted nearly unanimously to unionize with IATSE in February 2024.

Both sides sides issued statements following the strike action.

“Atlantic Theater’s refusal to bargain fairly has left the crew no choice but to strike,” said IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb. “These workers deserve the same dignity, respect, and protections as everyone else in New York’s entertainment community—whether they work in front of or behind the curtain, on or off Broadway. Shame on them for not providing healthcare coverage to all their employees. We are prepared to resume negotiations as soon as Atlantic Theater is ready to bargain in good faith.”

The theater company released a statement that reads, in part, “Atlantic has been working together diligently with IATSE for months to create a fair contract for our crew workers and we have offered a good faith agreement with nearly a 20% increase in wages and other benefits. Recognizing how long a first contract can take, Atlantic offered two interim agreements over the past two months that included 13% increases in wages and health, effective immediately in return for a no strike agreement while we continue to bargain in good faith. Both of these offers were ignored.

“We believe equity on our stage is crucial and our offer aligns with our contract with Actors’ Equity Association. IATSE believes this is unacceptable and wants more. In addition, the union is attempting to expand its work jurisdiction beyond the theatrical productions.”

The strike comes at a pivotal time for the Off Broadway community, as nonprofit theaters, which traditionally have not been unionized, struggle with both the harsh economics of the post-Covid theater industry and many crew members’ increasing desire for union representation.

In its statement, IATSE said, “The strike follows several months of negotiations that began after the Atlantic crew voted nearly unanimously to unionize with IATSE in February 2024. Despite months of efforts and good-faith proposals from the union, management has consistently stalled progress and made unilateral demands on working conditions. The union has filed unfair labor practice charges against Atlantic Theater surrounding many matters that have arisen during that time.”

Actors’ Equity Association, the national union representing more than 51,000 professional actors, stage managers and others working in live entertainment, released a statement supporting IATSE: “Actors’ Equity Association stands in solidarity with these workers, and there was an Equity presence at today’s picket lines. We have full faith that IATSE is negotiating terms that are fair and appropriate for their members, and we look forward to the shows resuming when an agreement has been reached.”

In the Atlantic statement, the company writes:

“The world of Off-Broadway theater is quickly changing: many not-for-profits are doing shorter seasons and choosing plays with smaller casts, press coverage that can boost tickets sales is never guaranteed, advertising costs continue to rise, and production costs have nearly doubled since the pandemic. Most of Off-Broadway is facing a precarious financial situation, running significant deficits since returning from Covid. If IATSE is successful in getting their proposed financials with Atlantic, it would set a precedent for other Off-Broadway companies and we may see the demise of some of our greatest institutions, including Atlantic.

“Atlantic is pro-union and works collaboratively with several other unions, but we have to make this agreement financially sustainable for everyone or we will not be around to offer any work to anyone. Our hope is that IATSE will reconsider the stance it is taking and work with us to reach a fair contract for our production crew quickly.”