Stagehands and theater producers reached a deal tonight to end the strike that has shut down Broadway for nearly three weeks, the AP reports. Negotiators ended a marathon bargaining session with a deal on compensation and work rules for the stagehands, and union members took down their picket lines, the New York Times reports. “Performances begin tomorrow night," said a theater official.
The settlement is “great news not just for everyone who earns their living on or around Broadway, but for everyone who lives in, works in, or visits New York City," said Mayor Bloomberg. The strike has cost the city and theaters millions in lost income, coming in the midst of the holiday season. The walkout closed 26 shows in 30 theaters. (More Broadway stories.)