Actors' Equity Association and the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA)—two performers' unions that have in recent years made an attempt at co-jurisdiction on Broadway and considered the possibility of merger—have parted ways.
The split is the result of Equity ending its effort in conjunction with AGMA to gain jurisdiction over the contract between the legendary Rockettes dance troupe and Radio City Music Hall. The American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA) has presided over the Rockettes' pact for half a century, and Equity and AGMA had agreed to jointly wrest the agreement from AGVA. This week the issue was to go before the Associated Actors and Artistes of America (4A's), the organization that establishes jurisdictions for and settles jurisdictional disputes among its entertainment-union members, including Equity, AGMA, and AGVA.
But on Monday, Alan Gordon, AGMA's national executive director, accused Alan Eisenberg, Equity's executive director, of deceiving him by reversing his stance, siding with AGVA and withdrawing from the request that the 4A's settle the dispute.
Gordon said that Eisenberg and AGVA executive Frances Gaar had "secretly met" and agreed that AGVA would negotiate a new contract for the Rockettes, then merge with Equity.
"I'm disappointed by Alan Eisenberg's conduct," Gordon said in an e-mail. "He and I have long agreed that the Rockettes deserved a higher level of representation than that which was being provided by AGVA."
In March, Eisenberg and Gordon issued a joint statement saying, "Equity and AGMA have been asked by many of the Rockettes to jointly take over their collective bargaining representation from AGVA and to negotiate a new and all-encompassing contract that protects their rights and secures for them the professional rewards to which they are entitled from the beauty and spectacle of their dancing. As the Rockettes' contract approaches its termination date, it's time for AGVA to face facts: A coalition of Equity and AGMA can provide the most effective array of contract negotiation, administration, and enforcement assistance and the greatest level of membership services and benefits."
On Monday, Gordon stressed, "Alan and I reached an agreement that we would jointly seek a 4A's transfer of that jurisdiction to an Equity/AGMA coalition. Part of that agreement was Eisenberg's personal assurance to me…that he would take no further unilateral actions and that, instead, everything having to do with representing the Rockettes would be done jointly by Equity and AGMA. So I'm disappointed that, notwithstanding his promise to me, he secretly met with Fran Gaar and reached a unilateral agreement with her. Unfortunately, to me this means that his word can't be trusted."
Eisenberg's View
On Tuesday, Equity issued the following brief response from Eisenberg:
"The understanding reached between AGVA and Actors' Equity is that of a solid working relationship and will be of great benefit to our respective memberships. There was nothing untoward about this coming together. I hope Mr. Gordon will soon get over his disappointment and recognize how valuable this step will be for all performers who appear on stages all across the country."
The statement did not specify whether Equity had decided to let AGVA continue to negotiate the Rockettes pact, nor whether Equity and AGVA had agreed to merge. Those questions were put to Maria Somma, Equity's press liaison. She was also asked if Equity was now satisfied that the Rockettes' concerns about lack of service from AGVA had been salved.
In March, Equity said, "Over the years, the Rockettes have expressed their dissatisfaction with AGVA, citing lack of service and regular meetings and the inability to get copies of appropriate documents, including the contract and the constitution, from the union."
Somma had not responded to those questions by press time Tuesday evening.
Broadway Co-Jurisdiction
In the summer of 2003, Equity and AGMA agreed to a pact creating a category for "crossover productions"—those that contain some elements under each union's contractual jurisdiction. The pact followed the two unions' fight over the jurisdiction of the Broadway show "Movin' Out," the Billy Joel–Twyla Tharp musical. In announcing the agreement, Equity and AGMA also said they were looking at the possibility of merging the two unions and would invite AGVA to consider joining them. AGMA's Gordon said Monday that AGVA had expressed no interest in such a merger.
The "crossover production" jurisdiction agreement expires at the end of this year, and Gordon said he would not seek to renew the pact with Equity. He also said he would no longer attempt to merge with Equity while Eisenberg served as its executive director.
Eisenberg announced earlier this year that he would retire in 2006 as Equity's staff leader and chief negotiator after a quarter of a century with the union. Gordon indicated he might be open to aligning with Equity after that.
Back Stage e-mailed AGVA's Gaar to get her response to the issues surrounding the Rockettes' contract and her union's possible merger with Equity, in addition to contacting AGVA's office. But she had not responded by press time. She said in a statement through AGVA earlier this month that Equity had not communicated with her on the Rockettes issue and that AGVA was already preparing for negotiations on a new Rockettes pact. The current agreement is scheduled to expire in June.