Strike All in the Timing?

When the stagehands Local One union takes its strike authorization vote tomorrow, remember that a "yea" vote does not trigger any automatic work stoppage. It would simply give the leaders the authorization to call a strike...whenever they see fit. So you may not have trade in your next week tickets just yet. Just wait till the holidays...

[T]he union appears determined to stick to its own timetable, and it has typically been to the union’s advantage to have talks continue into the busy holiday season, when the potential damage of a strike to producers is greatest. The last two times the union was in negotiations with the league, which represents most of Broadway’s producers and theater owners, an agreement was reached in the last two weeks of November.

So for now the stagehands are planning to go to work next week under the imposed rules, Mr. Claffey said. But, he added, “we’re not going into December without a deal.”

So tomorrow may still not resolve anything. The strike vote could just be a nother bargaining chip. Then, as Thanksgiving approaches, it turns into a big B'way game of chicken.