Broadway Musicians Authorize Strike
Chris Garlock | Published on 10/15/2025
American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 802 members voted on Monday to empower union
leadership to call a strike at any time amid ongoing contract negotiations with The Broadway League.
This powerful act of unity is magnified by Actors’ Equity Association (Equity)-represented actors and stage managers on Broadway who also are ready to strike to secure a fair contract. Musicians have been working under an expired contract since Aug. 31—core focuses for AFM during negotiations include fair wages, stable health coverage and job security.
“On the heels of the most successful season in history, The Broadway League wants the working musicians and artists who fueled that very success to accept wage cuts, threats to healthcare benefits, and potential job losses,” Local 802 President Bob Suttmann said. “Faced with such an egregious erosion of their working conditions, Local 802 Broadway musicians and other artists are ready to leverage every ounce of their collective power, up to and including a strike. Committing to anything less would mean sacrificing far too many hard-won gains.”
-AFL-CIO Daily Brief