Students will be allowed to move their own music stands.... what an honor. It does take some serious skill to move drums and marimbas... That is why every
drum tech I have ever worked with is always the smartest person on the show...
That was never the issue. The issue was whether Carnegie was going to have students, or non-union stagehands load n the rental piano, or extra sound gear needed for an event (cause you know that's going to happen), or go up in a Genie to change the blown S4 lamps. Carnegie refused to bargain for those (few) positions (13 months and no deal). Carnegie made a lot of noise about "how Local One doesn't work in educational venues", when they knew full well that was not the case.
The local currently represents professional stagehands at something like 7 of the City University campuses, all which have educational programs in the performing arts. The contracts recognize under what circumstances a Local One person is to be hired, typically when a professional is needed to go find all the scattered music stands around the building that the students won't remember to put back in storage. Or to turn on tthe lighting or sound systems that the students (usually a drummer) or professors haven't a clue to operate. And to make sure all the systems and equipment is working for the performance. That's what professionals do. Yes, it could have been done by lower paid non-union that Carnegie could hire, but the Local's attitude was "we represent stagehands in this building already, have done so for 100 years and want our members to work in the new space(s)". Nothing wrong in that.
As to the $400,000 per year ?. The contract for the new space calls for one or two Local One crew as staff. They will certainly not be making $400,000. The CUNY rate is about $25-$28 per hour. though I would imagine the add'l Carnegie rate will be loser to the $38 that is typical for the local. If they work 40 hrs for the entire year they might make $78,000 or so. Not bad, but not great either for NYC. One of the positions I think is going to be an apprentice position as well, so they make a lot less.
Bottom
line was that Carnegie was trying to break the
power the local had in a performance space where the management demands perfection and gets it, every show. That's why the heads live at the theater during the season and make $400,000, to make sure everything is perfect. And FWIW, I have NEVER heard or read from anyone in the Carnegie management complain in the press about those $400,00 salaries. That's cause they know the folks earned it.
