Negotiations
Heading Toward A Dark Place In Hartford
Mon, Jul 7, 2015
by Drew McManus
The Hartford Symphony Orchestra (HSO) appears to be the latest candidate for a particularly ugly labor dispute. Over the past month, several news outlets have been reporting on a deteriorating situation that appears to be headed toward one of two options: an imposed collective bargaining agreement (CBA) or a work stoppage. The 7/1/2015 edition of
Minnesota Musicians Ratify Substitute Pay Disparity Through 2020
Fri, Jun 6, 2015
by Drew McManus
On 5/19/2015, the Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra (MOMA) ratified a 3.5 year collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with their employer, the Minnesota Orchestra Association (MOA). The new agreement begins 2/1/2017 and expires on 8/31/2020; at the beginning of the 2019/20 season, the base musician annual salary with electronic music guarantee (EMG) will by $110,604 and
Well Worth Your Time
Wed, Mar 3, 2015
by Drew McManus
If you haven’t taken the time to read James B. Stewart’s missive in the 3/23/2015 edition of The New Yorker about the Metropolitan Opera’s recent labor dispute and related political rapids, then you’re missing out. Yes, it is nearly 9000 words, but you’ll be glad you allocated the time. Even if you’re already quite familiar
Time To Rebuild The Negotiation Process Timeline
Tue, Feb 2, 2015
by Drew McManus
One of the footnotes in yesterday’s article pointed to a reference post from 2004 that chronicled the historic timeline of orchestra musician self-representation. It provides a decade by decade overview beginning with the 1950s through the most recent decade at the time the article was written, the 2000s. Nonetheless, thanks to the not-so-subtle prodding from a
Reader Request: How Do Negotiations Work?
Wed, Jan 1, 2015
by Drew McManus
I’ve been combing through the 2015 reader surveys and one response to the question “Which topics you would like to see covered?” caught my attention; specifically, the reader wanted to know about how the bargaining process actually worked. The reader indicated a level of frustration with traditional media coverage in that it doesn’t describe what
