The 1/15/2009 edition of the New York Times published an article by Dan Wakin about proposed budget cuts at the Metropolitan Opera. Although the article reports the Met’s general manager, Peter Gelb, is approaching the organization’s unions to see about instituting 10 percent pay cuts from the organization’s unions for each of the next two years along with equal pay cuts for administrators, Gelb is only asking principal singers to take an unspecified reduction in fees. This article serves as an excellent example to begin meaningful discussions about concessionary actions…
Good News About The Negotiation Process
Amid a season filled with real and potential negotiation strife, there are still a number of instances where the collective bargaining process is being implemented without undue friction. One recent example is the Westchester Philharmonic negotiations which concluded at the onset of 2009. What makes this particular negotiation worth examining is the fact that not only did it bridge the period before and after the economic downturn but the process included …