A reader sent us the following rant on the Broadway stagehand strike.
Since today marks "Day 15" of the walkout, and there's no apparent end in sight, we thought we'd share this reader's comments with you.
Most Broadway shows remain dark because of a strike by Local One stagehands. But who can really sympathize with them?
Many of these strikers do not have the education or patience of our school teachers, do not put their lives on the line like New York's Finest , do not battle blazes like New York's Bravest , or treat the sick or dying like our emergency medical technicians. Yet, these strikers make MORE than all those civil servants.
Surely, the stagehands face some legitimate hardships: No one should ever have to see Patti Lupone without makeup, Harvey Fierstein without a shirt, or put up with Rosie's stench or, that awful musical flop of hers, TABOO. (I'm still waiting for an apology and a refund)
These poor souls have had to suffer a bellowing Brooke Shields (in CABARET) and TEN sickening years of RENT. That, and having to hear the mindless matinée squabble of bus-loads of suburban yenta widows as well as middle-American tourists, who still believe attending a Broadway musical is a sophisticated cultural experience.
While I sympathize with their hardships, where are our priorities?
These strikers earn an average of $90,000 a year, with many making over $120,000. The starting salary of a New York City cop is about $25,100 .
These striking stagehands do a lot less lifting than the average moving man, but get paid a whole lot more. And, they receive benefits which are unheard of by members of other unions.
The bottom line is these workers are a bunch of replaceable spoiled bullies, whose jobs would be filled in a heartbeat, by a more capable and racially diverse group of workers.
Broadway is a great economic catalyst for New York, having a clear and measurable multiplicative effect on the whole City. Many workers in tangential fields, such as waiters and bartenders, need a healthy Broadway to survive. Hopefully the strikers will appreciate their good fortune and will soon return to their jobs.
Where is Ronald Reagan to end this silly strike?
Okay, how about his son, Ron ?
-RWS
The views and opinions expressed are those of the writer's and do not necessarily reflect those of this website, its owners and/or contributors.
(We must confess, TABOO was god-awful!)
Movie, anyone?
