Broadway cleaners voted to authorize a strike Tuesday amid negotiations over a new contract. The strike vote marks the first time the more than 250 cleaners, who are a part of the 32BJ of Service Employees International Union, have voted to authorize a strike in 18 years.
Speaking ahead of the vote, and a rally in front of the Shubert Organization offices, 32BJ SEIU Executive Vice President Denis Johnston said the two parties are at odds over wages, in particular.
At the rally, where workers chanted “Share the wealth,” while holding up signs expressing support for the strike vote, the topic of the Broadway industry’s success was also at the forefront. In the 2025-2026 season, Broadway brought in a collective $1.91 billion in ticket sales, largely on par with the prior season’s historic gains.
“It’s us who have to pick up the $7 bottles of water and the $20 boxes of popcorn at every single show,” Chris Repollet, a cleaner at the New Amsterdam Theater (currently home to Aladdin) and member of the bargaining committee, said on stage at the rally. “We see the success of the industry. That depends on us.”
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