After months of growing frustration with the management at the American Girl Place store in New York, 14 of the 18 actors at the store's in-house theater went on strike yesterday. The dispute arose when these actors began an effort to join Actors' Equity Association. Actors say they were told by store management that because of their outspoken desire to join Equity, the managers were not going to grant a pay raise that had been under consideration and would be less flexible about other requests, like time off for vocal rest.
See "Actors at American Girl Place Store Go on Strike", Campbell Robertson, The New York Times, August 3, 2006