Negotiations – Page 7 – Adaptistration

Indianapolis Symphony Terminates Health Care Coverage

Friday, June 26th, 2020 by Drew McManus

Like many orchestras, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) engaged austerity measures at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. It began with furloughs in March, but musicians and staffers were able to come back to work at reduced pay in April following a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. The PPP funds lasted for several weeks but once depleted, the musicians were furloughed again on June 7, 2020.The big change this time around …

Examining Recession Era Compensation Trends

Monday, June 22nd, 2020 by Drew McManus

The 2020 Orchestra compensation reports are coming out next week so between now and then, it’s worth taking a quick look at how past recessions have impacted compensation. Simply put, there are no shortage of lessons to learn. When taking a look at the most recent long-term averages for executives, music director, and concertmaster compensation it’s not difficult to see exactly when the housing bubble downturn impacted trends. Music director and …

The Curious Case Of Baltimore’s Undisclosed Details

Thursday, October 17th, 2019 by Drew McManus

When the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) announced a new one-year agreement that brought the multi-month work stoppage to a close, it was cause for celebration and relief. Information about the stopgap agreement’s terms were vague, but that’s not exactly unusual under these conditions. As such, I reached out to both stakeholders with a request for additional information. A Peek Behind The Curtain At the end of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) …

Baltimore Symphony Gets A New Board Chair

Monday, September 30th, 2019Monday, September 30th, 2019 by Drew McManus

In the wake of the acrimonious labor dispute that led to a summer-season killing work stoppage, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) announced that the board chair who led the group through that stakeholder fight is stepping down. While it isn’t unusual to see key leaders depart after the end of a bitter labor dispute, the BSO is asserting the change in leadership is nothing more than coincidental timing. The outgoing chair, …

Baltimore Ratifies One-Year Deal

Monday, September 23rd, 2019 by Drew McManus

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) ratified a new on-year collective bargaining agreement (CBA) Monday morning that gets the orchestra back into the hall for rehearsals ASAP. The Baltimore Sun published an article by Mary Carole McCauley and Christina Tkacik with initial details but that information is, at best, vague. On one hand, it appears that one of the employer’s fundamental demands, a 40-week season, made it into this short-term deal. On …