The August, 2010 edition of International Musician published an article by Christopher Durham, American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Symphonic Services Division (SSD) Director and Assistant to the President, titled Quality Leadership Is Essential in Difficult Times. Don’t let the obvious nature of the title fool you, the article essentially levies blame on much of the hardships throughout the field as the result of and in response to the practices and policies endorsed and implemented the League of American Orchestras…
Labor Relations
Remember Shreveport?
It has been nearly one year since we last checked in on the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra (SSO) and their work stoppage but good news is the reward for patience as both sides announced an agreement on 7/19/2010. The new two year agreement produces a 2010/11 season that tentatively begins in November. Terms include retaining the salaried core albeit at a 45 percent reduction from the previous contract…
Extra Strength Crazy In Honolulu
After awhile, the repetition associated with labor disputes can get pretty boring; each side tosses the same old accusations and language back and forth and the outcomes are pretty much unsurprising. It is almost as formulaic as Hollywood’s never ending stream of buddy-cop or teenage-angst flicks. But every now and then, a group emerges to offer up something so crazy it would make the Mad Hatter whistle in awe. And just last week, the current Honolulu Symphony Orchestra (HSO) leadership tossed out an item so irrational, it left poor Mr. Hatter speechless…
What The Richardson Symphony Should Have Done
The Sunday, 7/10/2010 edition of the Dallas Morning News published an article by music critic Scott Cantrell that calls the labor dispute between the Richardson Symphony Orchestra (RSO) and its musicians a “showdown.” That description certainly adds to the western flavor of events, nonetheless, the RSO could have employed a much better solution that would have avoided all of this conflict…
Defining The Debate In Richardson
The labor dispute between the Richardson Symphony Orchestra (RSO) and their musicians, represented by Local 72-147 of the American Federation of Musicians, has crossed a new threshold in the war of rhetoric. Email messages from both parties dated 7/8/2010 and addressed to RSO musicians attempt to define the issues that characterize the dispute…