Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-17
STAGE HANDS STRIKE
QUIT WORK DURING PERFORM
ANCE SATURDAY NIGHT.
Managers at ALI the Theaters Were
Prepared and Scenery Was Set
Without Hitch.

The long standing grievances between the
local theatrical managers and their stage
employees as to the question of pay for work
performed after the final fall of the curtain
at the close OF a weeks engagement, came
to a crisis last Saturday night about 9:4o,
when the stage hands of the seven local
theaters, most of whom are affiliated
with the National Alliance of Theatrical
Stage Employees, instituted a strike. TIE
managers have been apprehending trouble
with the union stage hands for some time
and u"~e more or less prepared to meet the
emerge.cy when it came. The strike was
Instituted about the middle Of the per-
Torrance at each theater and at a time
when other men could not be easily found
to replace the strikers. The managers
gathered up all the men who were close at
hand and called upon the ushers and the
members of the office staffs to act as scere
shifters for the time being. In this way
the performance at each play house went
on without a hitch and no one in the audi
ence of any of the theaters had the rrmot-
est idea that anything had gone wrong.
The Strikers Story.
According to the strikers the trouble be-
tween the managers and the stage hands
originated at the close of the final per-
Torrance of THE Billionaire," at which
time the manager of the National Thea :er
ting the show out" The strikers say they
made a demand for pay for putting the
show out for the simple reason that they
are paid extra for putting the show in
and setting up the scenery. They Say that
they think 1t unjust to be called upon to
put show out when they receive TO extra
pay for the work.
The stage hands refused to carry out the
scenery, and as result they were dis
charged and their places filled by other
workmen. From what can be learned, the
relations between the union and the man
ayers of all the thea tiers, save the National,
were harmonious until last Monday morn
irg, when Mr.. Luckett, manager of the Co
lumbia Theater informed the union that he
would need few extra men during the en-
gagement of THE Emerald Isle" but that
he could not employ any of the stage hands
who were dismissed from the National.
There was special meeting of the union
last Wednesday night, at which commit
tee was appointed to confer with the man
ayers. The following morning the chair
man of the committee, it is said, called
upon Mr.. Luckett the secretary of the
Managers Association, of which all the
local managers are members, and informed
him that the union was ready to confer
with his associates A conference was set
for Saturday morning by agreement.
The committee Of the union and Secretary
Luckett held two hours conference at
the Columbia Saturday morning. Mr.. Luck
EFT, it is said, told the union committee
that he would give his answer to the
union proposition later IN the day. About
$3.50 o'clock Saturday afternoon, the strikers
say, Secretary Luckett informed them that
he had conferred with his associates in the
Managers Association and that the men
would have to work until 10 o'clock every
Saturday night.
This the union stage hands it is claimed
agreed to do, providing that the union men
who were discharged from the National
Theater would not be "blacklisted" by the
managers association. Secretary Luckett
the union officers claim. said the managers
association would not agree to that provi-
sion and that the managers reserved the
right to discriminate against the dis
charged men. The union then Informed
Secretary Luckett that unless the managers
agreed to employ the men dismissed from
the National Theater when they needed ex-
ira hands all negotiations between the
managers and the union Were at an end
The strikers claim they gave the man
ayers until 9:45 o'clock to consider their
terms. At the expira ton of that time they
received no reply from the managers and in
consequence the men at the various thea
ters quit work.
Special Meeting Yesterday.
special meeting of the alliance was held
yesterday afternoon at 1902 PENNSYLVANIA