Its online ad states: 'The Met Opera isn't about balance sheets. The IATSE campaign and website are aimed squarely at the company's subscribers and donors. As we've explained to Local 1, we remain willing to negotiate at any time, day or night.' In a statement to NPR, Met's press office wrote: 'The Met was surprised to read IATSE's statement, since we've been attempting to negotiate with Local 1 all along, even after they broke off our talks in December. But we never got there.' Talks broke down in early December, and the union has been locked out since then. The union offered several counterproposals, says James Claffey Jr., president of IATSE Local 1: 'We offered a significant reduction for a year's time, and we were prepared to actually go for a longer period of time, at an even greater reduction. The Met offered IATSE members a weekly 'bridge' payment of $1,527 during the pandemic, contingent on a 30% pay cut when it was over. The two sides met for several negotiating sessions, beginning last July.

In the midst of the furloughs, contracts with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, or IATSE - which represents workers, from stagehands to box office personnel to make-up artists - expired.

When it shut down because of COVID last March, the company cited the force majeure provision of its agreements, and made the decision to furlough all its union artists and craftspeople. The Met is the largest performing arts organization in the United States, employing close to 3,000 people, with an annual budget of over $300 million.

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