Broadway strike talks flop

Talks to end the nine-day strike by Broadway stagehands broke off late Sunday evening, leaving the work stoppage unresolved and most of the Great White Way in the dark.

Members of the striking union, Local 1 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, and the League of American Theatres and Producers had begun the second day of their talks at 9:30 a.m.

But late in the evening, the negotiations abruptly ended.

“The producers informed us that what Local 1 had offered was simply not enough. The producers then left the building,” said a representative speaking on behalf of the union.

Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of the league, said in a statement that she was “profoundly disappointed” to announce that no further negotiations had been scheduled in the strike that had left 27 Broadway plays and musicals shut down.

She said the league had offered a “comprehensive proposal” to address union concerns, but that “the union rejected our effort to compromise and continues to require us to hire more people than we need.”

As a result of the breakdown, she said, Broadway performances at theaters affected by the strike would be canceled through Sunday, meaning that the work stoppage will affect the normally lucrative Thanksgiving week.

Eight shows have remained open because they are governed by different labor agreements.

The key issue in the strike is the number of stagehands required to run Broadway shows. Producers have been seeking to reduce the number from the previous contract, calling it excessive, but union members have resisted cuts, saying their job security and benefits are on the line. The labor contract between the unions and other theaters expired July 31.

Pressure had been building on both sides to settle the conflict during the weekend.

Some shows could easily top $1 million in ticket sales during Thanksgiving week, and the League estimates that the city is losing $17 million a day due to the walkout, a figure that includes lost revenue to restaurants, tourist shops, garages and other businesses, since the strike began Nov. 10.

Hoping to spur a settlement, Disney on Saturday brought in Robert W. Johnson, a senior labor relations specialist, to pull the two sides back to the bargaining table.

Talks ended just before midnight Saturday, and began again at 9:30 a.m. Sunday.

Although neither side would discuss the talks while they were in progress at the Westin hotel in Times Square, sources close to the sessions had said that Johnson was greatly respected by both sides.

Meanwhile, the already grim mood on the picket lines got sadder over the weekend; union members wore black armbands in memory of Frank Lavaia, a 57-year-old stagehand who was picketing in front of the Minskoff Theater and died of a heart attack Friday evening.

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josh.getlin@latimes.com