Hundreds Of Metropolitan Opera Stagehands, Musicians, Other Union Members Rally Amid Bitter Contract Dispute
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Metropolitan Opera is in a bitter contract fight with two of its biggest unions, which could threaten a planned reopening in the fall.
The opera reached an agreement with the union that represents soloists, actors and dancers.
Hundreds of stagehands, musicians and other union members, however, are still without a contract.
They rallied at Lincoln Center outside the famed opera house at noon Thursday.
"We have to get the Met Opera to the table, make reasonable deals, not take-it-or-leave-it, and we go back to work where we belong, putting on the greatest of grand opera on the planet," said James Claffey Jr., president of IATSE Local One.
The Met says it's lost $150 million in revenue the past 14 months and in a statement, officials said, "We are in negotiations with our orchestra and hope to resume negotiations with our stagehands, who are the highest paid stagehands in the world."