Drew McManus on the Orchestra business | est. 2003

Labor Relations

AFM Calls Out The League

Fri, Aug 8, 2010
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

Remember Shreveport?

Wed, Jul 7, 2010
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

Extra Strength Crazy In Honolulu

Mon, Jul 7, 2010
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

What The Richardson Symphony Should Have Done

Mon, Jul 7, 2010
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

Defining The Debate In Richardson

Fri, Jul 7, 2010
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…
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