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American Morning
Interview with Radio City Rockettes
Aired August 15, 2002 - 07:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, their legs are legendary, but this morning New York City's Radio City Rockettes are kicking up a fuss over a loss of job security after a breakdown in contract talks with Radio City's parent company, Cablevision. Forty-one Rockettes lost their tenure and they must now audition along with any other dancers.
With me now are four members of the legendary dance troupe, Anne Cooley, Jennifer McCamish, Deborah Kohl (ph) and Adrienne Thorn (ph).
ANN COOLEY, ROCKETTE: Thank you for having us.
ZAHN: Well, we lost one of you. What happened? Five seconds ago four of you were standing here. So we've lost Adrienne. Well, welcome to the three of you.
COOLEY: Thank you for having us on, Paula.
ZAHN: Glad to see you.
So what is the big deal about having to re-audition for this? I mean a lot of people in the country don't have any job security and are thinking well, what's the big deal of tenure. Help them understand why this is so meaningful to you.
COOLEY: As far as being a Radio City Rockette is concerned, we consider this a career. We have the opportunity to enjoy certain benefits. We also have the opportunity to pass along our knowledge, our experience, camaraderie and consistency in order to achieve the excellence it takes to become a Radio City Rockette, to continue to be a Radio City Rockette.
We pass this along to the other women and it's not just about 41 women. It's about women in different markets throughout the country.
JENNIFER MCCAMISH, ROCKETTE: The job security is not just securing for the 41 women. We are trying to secure job security for approximately 200 Radio City Rockettes around the country.
COOLEY: That is our goal.
ZAHN: There's no question in your mind that if you auditioned, you'd make it again, right?
COOLEY: Of course not.
ZAHN: So can't you achieve that if you audition and go through this whole process again and still set out to accomplish the same goal? Or it doesn't work that way?
DEBORAH KOHL (ph), ROCKETTE: Well, we feel that our performance is our audition. We perform time and time again and that is the best way to see, is through our performance.
ZAHN: So what happened to...
COOLEY: We've already been through the audition process.
ZAHN: So what happens if this isn't resolved? What do you guys plan to do?
KOHL (ph): Well, we don't have a comment on that at this time.
COOLEY: Yes.
ZAHN: But can you confirm for us this morning whether you're considering a strike action or you'll walk off the job? How is this going to work?
COOLEY: Well, we are in a position that we believe that we are still able to negotiate this contract. We're still at the bargaining table. There's no reason that at this point we can't receive fair and...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A fair deal for all Rockettes.
COOLEY: ... a great deal for each and every Rockette across the country. There's just no reason for it.
ZAHN: Are you hopeful that you can resolve this?
COOLEY: Oh, very.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
ZAHN: Let me read this morning what some of the representatives have had to say from Radio City Entertainment. They declined to come on air, but they issued this statement. They say, "Radio City Entertainment has offered the Rockettes significant improvements in compensation and benefits through the most generous and fair contract in the industry. Radio City Entertainment also offered to make significant payments to rostered Rockettes in exchange for dissolving an unfair and unworkable system that does not exist anywhere else."
Your response to that?
MCCAMISH: We feel that the contract that they're offering us actually takes away our voice, because it creates a revolving door, bringing in new people all the time, which takes away our voice. If you don't have the job security, you're unable to stand up for yourself and make your points.
ZAHN: So you're basically saying this statement is a non- starter? COOLEY: Yes. I mean we definitely feel that we are the voice for the Rockettes now. We'd be the voice for the future Rockettes. We definitely understand that it takes a core group of women -- whether that core group of women is as expanded, which is what our goal happens to be, to expand the core group of women -- it is so important to maintain job security for Rockettes. We consider this a career. We have certain benefits that we need to make sure that we can hold onto at this point. And we believe their contract is unfair.
ZAHN: So how do you feel about some of the women who will audition to join the Rockettes despite all this controversy going on with what you guys are asking for?
MCCAMISH: Well, we feel...
ZAHN: Are they scabs? I've heard someone refer to them as scabs yesterday, even though there's no strike.
COOLEY: I wouldn't say that. There are always positions available to become a Radio City Rockette. It's not the fact that we want to put a lock on the no one else can come. There are always opportunities for new women who are deserving to come into the line.
What we do is a very special and unique thing.
MCCAMISH: It's a precision dance troupe.
COOLEY: It takes a lot.
ZAHN: Precision dancers...
MCCAMISH: Precision dance troupe.
ZAHN: ... you guys defy gravity every minute of your performance.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
ZAHN: We're going to take some more, look at some more pictures of what you do on that stage.
COOLEY: We feel that our audience deserves to see the real thing, the real Radio City Rockettes. We need to pass this along to the new women in the proper way.
ZAHN: So what happens to you if this isn't worked out? Will we see you back on stage doing this or do you guys plan to hoof it and go elsewhere?
KOHL (ph): We're very hopeful to mold an agreement with Cablevision.
COOLEY: We feel that there are no reasons that we cannot come to an agreement.
ZAHN: Well, you are so much a part of the city landscape. It'll be interesting to see where this goes from here Ann, Jennifer and Debby.
COOLEY: We're definitely the height of New York.
ZAHN: Well, you are and I guess just about everybody in America wonders if your legs really are seven feet long. And they appear to be this morning.
Good luck to you all. Thank you for coming in.
COOLEY: Thank you very much.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you so much.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You bet.
ZAHN: And we will try to keep our audience posted and where this controversy goes from here.
COOLEY: Appreciate it.
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