Recently, conductor Bill Eddins commented on the decision by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) to dismiss music director, Junichi Hirokami for what he described as ‘[looking] around, saw a bad situation, and spoke out on behalf of the organization and, most importantly, the welfare of his musicians. The response: ‘Sayonara, Junichi!'” Bill couldn’t be more correct in his analysis and I wanted to examine this situation from another perspective…
Labor Relations
Wisconsin Musicians File Unfair Labor Practice Charge
On 10/21/2008, the Musicians of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (WCO) filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge (ULP) with the National Labor Relations Board against the association for failing to bargain in good faith…
Don’t Let The Door Hit Your Ass On The Way Out
The 9/28/08 edition of the Columbus Dispatch published another article about the post-agreement environment within the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and yet again, certain members of the CSO leadership demonstrated they still suffer from foot-in-mouth disease…
Unfair Labor Charges Filed In Columbus
Musicians of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) filed unfair labor practice charges the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Inc. claiming that the organization is violating the collective bargaining agreement between the Union and the Board by locking out the Musicians of the CSO on June 1, 2008 and for failing to bargain in good faith with the Union in an effort to negotiate a successor agreement for next season. A copy of the …
Ignorance, Thy Name Is Columbus
Recently, a colleague pointed out a comment posted by Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) trustee, Sheldon A. Taft in response to Janelle Gelfand’s June article in the Wall Street Journal about the ongoing problems in the CSO. Taft’s response to Gelfand’s article, although passionate, only serves to reinforce that the CSO executive board and trustees are suffering from a debilitating case of ignorance with regard to their current problems…