Labor Relations

Growing Discord In Indianapolis

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At the end of June, we examined growing labor tensions at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) over what the musicians described as unnecessarily aggressive negotiations over back pay, benefits, and media agreement terms. Since then, I managed to have a conversation with the ISO’s CEO James Johnson. Media Agreement According to a press statement from the musicians, the employer was pushing for changes to the existing media agreement in order to make good …

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Why The “If You Aren’t Playing, We Aren’t Paying” Rationale Just Doesn’t Work

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As coronavirus shutdowns continue, we’re seeing some genuinely positive interaction between employers and musician employees working toward mutually agreeable solutions to the sensitive issue of payroll. Outside of those scenarios, I’m seeing one of the most derogatory old-school stereotypes emerge as justification for cancelling musician pay entirely: musicians only work 20 hours per week. This twisted notion assumes that musicians are only paid for the time they are on stage rehearsing …

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Examining Coronavirus Orchestra News

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For the most part, it’s genuinely heartening to see the degree of care and accuracy of news related to Coronavirus related news about the orchestra field. Having said that, there have been a few small exceptions worth examining. One that would benefit from some added clarity was from an article in the 3/23/2020 edition of Vulture.com examining the New York Philharmonic’s labor decision to reduce musician pay over the summer. Beginning …

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The Age Of Force Majeure

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Perhaps you’re one of the fortunate ones who doesn’t have to set aside much time planning for potential cancellations or postponements due to covid-19; but for everyone else, you should be taking a very close look at the force majeure clause in all of your agreements. One of the more financially pressing agreements will be your collective bargaining agreement (CBA). While stereotypical conventional thinking may dictate these agreements are mostly the …

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You Didn’t Think The Drama In Jackson Hole Was Over, Did You?

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Adaptistration People 137

Update: early Friday evening, the GTMF issued a press statement announcing President and CEO, Andrew Palmer Todd, has resigned. It didn’t take long for labor tensions at the Grand Teton Music Festival (GTMF) to go from “them’s fightin’ words” to “this town ain’t big enough for the both of us.” If you’re just getting caught up, here’s a recap: GTMF President and CEO, Andrew Palmer Todd, decided to dismiss three musicians …

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