On Nov. 10, 2007, right before the busiest season of the year, the Broadway stagehands decided to go on strike and piss off quite a few tourists and theatergoers who made the trek into Manhattan just to enjoy a show or two. Of course, these same stagehands were also finding themselves lam-basted in the media as spoilers for not only the Broadway patrons, but also for the producers, actors and ushers, as well as ancillary businesses such as restaurants and shops. In the mainstream media, the stagehands were collectively portrayed as “The Grinch” who, due to their own avarice, ruined the top moneymaking season for all the aforementioned and more.
There were testimonials by restaurant owners, waiters and bartenders whose restaurants were empty. There were heart-wrenching stories of families that saved all year for a magical Christmas in New York only to find themselves rearranging their plans and settling for other activities. Hotel owners complained that rooms remained empty during a season that usually yields full houses and the mess, as reported by the media, was caused by these stagehands who all make $150,000 per year and belong to a union that demands a certain amount of labor to be on each call whether required or not.
According to media accounts, it appeared that the stagehands were coming from the dark side, but then again, there just wasn’t much attention given to the fact that the producers and owners proposed to cut the stagehand’s jobs and pay by 38%. Considering that the stagehands had been working since the previous July without a contract, it makes sense that they finally took action. Stagehands make a decent middle class income, but considering that most do not work year round and are paid per production, the $150,000 income portrayed by the media is grossly exaggerated. This doesn’t exonerate Local One, but what they are up against is a corporate media machine. The owners of ABC, The Disney Company, is the largest earning company on Broadway and managed to gross $2,205,016 just a week before the strike. For many weeks prior to the strike, the musical Wicked had grossed more than one million dollars per week, and just one week before the strike the show had managed to pull in more than $1.3 million. Wicked is owned by Universal Pictures, which is a subsidiary of G.E., the same company that owns NBC.
I do realize that regardless of the company’s size or gross income there are many expenses involved with putting on a show of this caliber. Owners are constantly trying to optimize their profits no matter how large or small they may be perceived. Historically, in every business, there have always been owners and workers with the owners always trying to capitalize on their labor. Labor and labor rates are always an issue for any type of producer and, as we all know, good help is hard to find, but while there may be some slackers in the business, I find that for the most part a majority of the stage hands I have encountered are competent technicians who work hard and put in extremely long days at their jobs. Considering the amount of people that are affected by a stagehand strike, I would say to the owners that instead of trying to cut the stagehand’s income it might be in their best interest to appeal to the community restaurants, hotels and shops to subsidize the required labor.
Union labor rates can vary depending upon the theatre and the local rates, but one of my friends, who is in charge of the production for a theatre in New York, told me that the basic rate for a stagehand starts at about $287, which is about $36 per hour. This rate is based upon a load in at 2 p.m. with stage dark for dinner between 6-7 p.m. If the show is over at 10:30 p.m. the load-out will be finished between 11:30 p.m. and 12 a.m., at which point no overtime in incurred even though from 2 p.m.-12 a.m. is actually a 10-hour day minus the dinner hour. Overtime is incurred when there is an earlier load-in, load-out or if the dinner hour is purchased. If an audio tech is required, he is paid $100.00 more on top of the basic $287.00. I’m told that when the guys get busy they can make some decent money, but they are usually working 12 hour days for seven days a week and, as we all know, that leaves little time for anything else — other than working on your divorce proceedings.
Considering that labor makes the wheel spin, the question then arises, “How much are you worth?” How much can we as engineers demand from an employer and how do we calculate that figure? Interestingly, a comparative salary search on the internet for audio engineer brings up a list of mostly broadcast and recording engineering positions. The one listing for a live audio engineer on a page listed as “Career Prospects in Virginia” gave this response and I quote:
The various tasks required for a live sound engineer ranges from plugging in microphones and monitoring simple sound panels to the design of elaborate sound programs that involve recording, mixing, and running tapes during a live event. But because technology in the field of sound is advancing so quickly, all live sound engineers must constantly learn new equipment and techniques.
For live sound engineers, there's no such thing as a typical job schedule. Some tour with a band working 16 hours a day, sometimes for six-months straight. Others work on small, local gigs. However, since many events and performances take place at night, and the sound equipment has to be set up and tested well before they begin, many work days run well over eight hours. As a result, live sound engineers must be able to stay focused, spotting impending problems, and troubleshooting them on the spot even when it's 11:15 p.m. on a day when they’ve been on the job since 8:00 am. Because they work in front of live audiences and have little room for error, live sound engineers must thrive under pressure and be able to make quick decisions. Usually they're people who love working with sound, learning new ways to enhance it, and tinkering endlessly to achieve the best possible result. And often their work is central to the success of a performance — no sound, no concert.
Since most live sound engineers do not have a stable work schedule, their earnings vary widely. In Virginia, sound engineering technicians made salaries ranging from about $21,000 all the way up to salaries in the $146,000 range in 2005. The median salary for sound engineers in 2005 was $39,000.”
Salaries are always market driven and one would assume that in larger markets such as New York or Los Angeles salaries are higher than in other parts of the country, but regardless of locality, how does one calculate their worth? Considering that there is no “Live Audio Technician Union,” who is it then that determines our rate and when we should get more? Should more be paid when we mix a show for a larger audience? Can we demand more when we do monitors for a popular band or show? Is preproduction really part of the job description? Can we demand more if we are moving gear, setting up, doing soundchecks, mixing the show, striking the gear and driving the truck? When exactly should we assume overtime kicks in? Does it start after eight hours, 10 hours or after a 40-hour week? Do we get paid per gig or by the hour, and do we get paid more if we can fly the system or do a digital multi-track recording? If so, how much more can we get paid? If someone could give me a detailed rate and job responsibility chart for what we do, then it might be easier to calculate labor for live audio engineers. As it is, we may just have to wait until we get our union together.
