TTC Newsletter #6 - Dec 2025
Check out our July 2025 edition for the message from our TTC Chairperson, Bill Leary (Back to the Future). Read on to see what TTC officers have to say about contract issues and enjoy commentary about life on the road from other stewards and travelers, including the latest updates.
MESSAGE FROM TTC CHAIRPERSON
Well, we have come to the end of yet another successful year, midway through many of our touring seasons and at the beginning for a few Fall 2025 productions. For the first time in several years, I’ll be home for the holidays. Whoo-hoo!! Hope those who also have a break enjoy their down time. Those still on the road, slugging it out over the holidays, here’s to some good overages (if on SET), good holiday parties, and hopefully a warm climate! Throughout 2025, we’ve had another successful year of the TTC as well. Our bi-monthly meetings are going strong. Please make sure to let everyone on your show know they are welcome to attend our meetings. The touring theatre committee is not just for the shop stewards - fellow bandmates are welcome, as well as Music Directors. It’s great to see familiar faces at every meeting, and some new faces as well! It would also be great to see some new faces from long running shows too. Even if people can’t stay on for the whole zoom meeting they are welcome to pop in and out. Everyone brings a unique angle to the table that will help us to achieve our goal of a successful contract negotiation in 2027. Speaking of which… When we have our next TTC zoom meeting on Jan 9th 2026, we will be just about a year out from the next contract negotiations (our contract expires on Feb 28, 2027). In the beginning of the new year, we will start sending out our own polls in advance of an anticipated AFM survey to assess what is of most importance to our bargaining unit. Since the AFM plans to begin sending out its official survey about 4- months ahead of negotiations, the TTC officers feel that getting a head start on organizing our bargaining unit is imperative for successfully addressing our interests at the bargaining table. I know it seems so far off in the distance, but it’s a good time to start asking fellow band members what their concerns and top priorities are for the next contract. It's never too early to get the discussion going. With everyone’s help we hope to continue our mission of improving road life conditions for touring musicians.
Happy Holidays and hope to see you all at a zoom meeting soon!
Thank you,
Bill Leary, Steward/Reed 1
Back to the Future National Tour
802 Health Plan changes will prevent most travelers from qualifying in Jan 2026.
On January 1, 2026, the threshold to qualify for 802’s Health Plan A rises from $3,000 to $3,250. Also beginning January 1, 2026, the September 1st coverage period rollover bank is discontinued and LS-1 contracts will no longer be accepted. Copays for in-network doctor visits will rise by $10/$15 and after the deductible there will be a 30% coinsurance on hospital in-network diagnostic tests and imaging beginning March 1, 2026. Going forward, using a stand-alone facility instead of a hospital for tests and imaging will be CHEAPER for participants, even though it carries the same 30% coinsurance obligation. While there will be no change in deductibles or participant premiums, Pamphlet B musicians will need to work 24 out of 26 weeks to qualify for 802’s health plan. This will prove very difficult as most tours do not run for 26 weeks without a full company layoff. Since the Pamphlet B health contribution of $140 per week will not increase until our contract is renegotiated in Feb. 2027, travelers who wish to remain on the plan are encouraged to add their additional 1% wage contribution, as allowed by our Pamphlet B CBA (see p.66 - SET RULE I).
Local 802’s Broadway CBA negotiations proved transparency is our most powerful organizing tool. Will the Feb 2027 AFM Pamphlet B/SET negotiations follow suit?
Following the successful Local 802 Broadway CBA negotiations, touring musicians are now wondering if lessons learned from the Broadway contract campaign will influence how Pamphlet B workers may participate in future bargaining sessions for their own CBA. In previous Pamphlet B negotiations, there has been a lack of transparency with bargaining unit members. Also, the AFM’s position during the 2023 negotiation seemed to be that Pamphlet B workers could not be supported by AFM organizers for fear the support could be perceived as favoritism for touring musicians against local interests. This approach injures the musicians who work under the AFM touring agreements as it obstructs their ability to offer valuable insight about how to improve their contract. Pamphlet B workers now hope the AFM might take a page out of Local 802’s playbook by increasing communication and organizer support for the traveling players to achieve a stronger agreement. Greater transparency could also help avoid a repeat of the 2023 Pamphlet B CBA ratification vote, when the contract was ratified by only a slim margin of fewer than 10 worker votes. Today, the advent of Zoom technology means it is no longer necessary for Pamphlet B Player Reps to be flown home from tour to participate in negotiations (as was done in the past). And while the current approach seems to be appointing two (2) Player Reps who have recently left the road, either way, restricting participation by the CBA’s most affected stakeholders will only succeed in weakening the national contract and escalating the Pamphlet B bargaining unit’s feeling of disenfranchisement from the process. Local 802 proved that increased participation is the key to success. We’d like to see a continuation of this approach at the national level in 2027.
