New York Broadway stagehands went on strike on Saturday, shutting down 26 theaters which are popular all the year round.

The 3,000-member stagehands union, Local One, said it made a last attempt at negotiations with the League of American Theaters and Producers, but the three-month-long could not reach an agreement.

The major sticking point has been the number of stagehands required to work each show. The league wants for more flexibility in terms of hiring them. But the union said it will not give up job protection.

Local One, which has been working without a contract since the end of July, was told Friday by its parent union, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, to begin the walkout on Saturday.

Picket lines went up at theaters throughout the Times Square area from 11 a.m. (1600 GMT) Saturday.

The first show to be affected was How the Grinch Stole Christmas at St. James Theater.

Among the shows shut by the walkout are such popular attractions as Chicago, The Color of Purple, The Phantom of the Opera, Jersey Boys, and Mamma Mia!

Extending their "sympathy for the inconvenience caused," the League of American Theaters and Producers said that ticket holders can exchange their tickets or receive a full refund.

The stagehands' strike will not affect shows produced by non-profit organizations or shows in theaters owned by non-League members.

In March 2003, more than a dozen Broadway shows went dark after musicians went on a four-day strike, costing the city millions of dollars.