Broadway Musicians Union Reaches Tentative Accord

THE union representing Broadway's musicians reached a tentative agreement Tuesday with producers in a labor dispute that had threatened to darken the Great White Way's nine musicals. Details of the agreement between Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians and the League of American Theatres and Producers were not disclosed. However, a ratification vote was scheduled for Oct. 6, and the details would be released after that, according to union spokeswoman Judy West.

The musicians, who have been working without a contract since Sept. 12, voted in favor of a strike earlier this month but never walked out. The main sticking point in negotiations was orchestra size, which the producers wanted to reduce and which is currently determined by the size of the theater.

The producers' chief negotiator, Gerald Schoenfeld, says the musical ``Tommy,'' which is scored for 15 musicians, must pay for 10 others who don't perform because of the theater's size. That adds more than $12,000 a week to its costs, he says.