'We are the Met': Labor tensions flare at prestigious New York opera Issued on: 13/05/2021 - 23:19 Demonstrators, including locked-out stagehands, backstage workers, musicians, opera singers and supporters of The Metropolitan Opera protest during a rally over an ongoing labor dispute Angela Weiss AFP 3 min New York (AFP) Hundreds of demonstrators rallied Thursday in front of New York's prestigious Metropolitan Opera to protest a lockout of stagehands, part of a lengthy labor dispute over proposed wage cuts. Workers including electricians, technicians and craftspeople were joined by musicians, actors, union representatives and local politicians over the lockout dating back to December 2020, when contract negotiations collapsed.