Word on the street in Richmond, VA is the proposed legislation (VA HB 1254) to bar orchestra musicians from collecting unemployment during non-employed weeks is ostensibly dead in the water. The representative responsible for introducing the legislation, at the behest of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra (RSO) board and executive director, officially withdrew it from consideration by the state’s Commerce and Labor Sub-Committee; but now, the real fun begins.
Month: February 2012
Economics And Negotiations: Not Always Cut And Dry
One of the ongoing challenges related to examining orchestra negotiation issues is taking something with a relatively large number of dynamic variables and editing it down to point where you don’t need intimate knowledge of multiple components in order to identify and understand the related issues. Some topics are better suited to this than others while some are stubbornly immune. Case in point, the recent unemployment benefit negotiation brouhaha in Richmond, VA.
So Much Drama
Maybe there’s something in the water supply but there seems to be a bit more drama in the field than usual. Two particular flashpoints of interest are Indianapolis via the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) and Boston via the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC). Flashpoint #1 – Indy The 2/4/2012 edition of the Indianapolis star published an article by Jay Harvey that reports on the hasty departure of ISO president and …
Culture Eats Strategy (and new models) For Lunch
There’s a terrific article at fastcompany.com making the rounds written by Shawn Parr about the overall value of a healthy company culture. It’s not written from the perspective of arts organizations but that doesn’t have any adverse impact on its overall value. Parr takes the time to examine why internal company culture is important but he clarifies some common misperceptions between culture and brand.
Richmond Stakeholders Dig In
It seems the labor relationship between the Richmond Symphony Orchestra (RSO) board and musicians has, perhaps unsurprisingly, taken a downward turn following a board letter from 1/28/2012 that articulated their role in crafting and advancing proposed legislation that would bar orchestra musicians (including those in the RSO) from collecting unemployment during non-employed weeks throughout the season.