Talking About The Minnesota Orchestra With WWFM’s Rachel Katz

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WWFM, The Classical Network, broadcast an episode of A Tempo with host Rachel Katz on 9/7/2013 where I had the privilege of talking with Katz about some of the broader issues related to the Minnesota Orchestra Association (MOA) labor dispute such as proposed work rule changes and musician duties and responsibilities along with how all of this fits into today’s contemporary bargaining environment.

ADAPTISTRATION-GUY-165It is interesting to listen to the interview with the benefit of hindsight thanks to this week’s recent developments, especially those related to issues surrounding the value of negotiating when one party, or both, resists efforts to bargain in good faith.

My segment with Katz begins at the 14:00 mark; also of note at the 23:30 mark is an ancillary discussion about the growing influence of organized patron groups on labor disputes.

Listen to the program

In the first half of the program, Katz talks about the MOA dispute with Susan Schurman, Dean of the School of Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

About Drew McManus

"I hear that every time you show up to work with an orchestra, people get fired." Those were the first words out of an executive's mouth after her board chair introduced us. That executive is now a dear colleague and friend but the day that consulting contract began with her orchestra, she was convinced I was a hatchet-man brought in by the board to clean house.

I understand where the trepidation comes from as a great deal of my consulting and technology provider work for arts organizations involves due diligence, separating fact from fiction, interpreting spin, as well as performance review and oversight. So yes, sometimes that work results in one or two individuals "aggressively embracing career change" but far more often than not, it reinforces and clarifies exactly what works and why.

In short, it doesn't matter if you know where all the bodies are buried if you can't keep your own clients out of the ground, and I'm fortunate enough to say that for more than 15 years, I've done exactly that for groups of all budget size from Qatar to Kathmandu.

For fun, I write a daily blog about the orchestra business, provide a platform for arts insiders to speak their mind, keep track of what people in this business get paid, help write a satirical cartoon about orchestra life, hack the arts, and love a good coffee drink.

View all posts by Drew McManus | Website

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